Yesterday, this sign stopped me in my tracks. I didn’t notice the misspelled words, just its powerful message with its unlikely presentation: marker on a plastic storage container lid, bungeed to an office chair, in the park we walk in daily. I like your sign I said to the man standing nearby. Do you experience miracles every day?  Yes I do, he replied with a smile.

He called himself Cosmos. Although he said he had a home, he preferred to live on the beach or in a park; being close to nature kept his thinking clear. He made money by playing music in Washington Square Park. My acute city-kid radar picked up no vibe of deprivation, addiction or mental illness.

Everything is a choice. I like to keep it as simple as I can. I find I don’t need much.

My one vice is clothes. I love clothes and jewelry.

I noticed his elaborate beaded necklaces.

I asked him if he got what he needed every day.

          I do, and always have. 

          I wrote something about what I’ve learned. Want to hear it?

For every problem, there is a solution
For every question, there is an answer
For every mystery, a revelation
For every trial and tribulation, a lesson
For every prayer, a blessing.
                                  

As I was walking away, he called out and motioned for me to come back.

What is the most miraculous thing YOU have ever seen?

His question is a fine one to ponder. It makes me consider what a miracle is in my personal cosmology.  From there, I realize there have been MANY miraculous things…

I imagine Cosmos might at times be written off as some “crazy street person” rather than an original stranger-offering-a-gift. No matter. His message is a powerful one, a practice that shifts the view to seeing the gifts around us.