The Benefits of Bald

297 days since diagnosis. (It just feels like a lifetime.)

Being Bald

As you can probably imagine, Carson is the subject of a fair amount of stares. It's not that often you see a bald four year old. And I mean b-a-l-d, BALD. On those rare occasions, someone will come up to us and ask if Carson is sick...and that's what happened the other night while we were eating at Baja Fresh.

Just as a side note, if you know of our outings only through this blog, you are probably under the impression that we eat only at Baja Fresh. You might even think we own a franchise or are a major stock holder in the company. None of this is true. We do eat at other places - like Chipotle - but those occasions are very, very rare.

Anyway, while at Baja Fresh the other night a man approached Jennifer at the counter and said, "I couldn't help but notice you guys and your son. Is he sick?" (It was kind of hard not to notice. Carson was running around without a cap.)

Jennifer nodded and told him that yes, indeed, he was sick. The man then held out a hand with several folded up bills and replied, "I'd like to pay for your dinner."

Jennifer graciously declined and thanked the man profusely for his generosity, at which point he put his hand in hers and said, "Please take it. I've had a bad weekend, but it's not as bad as that." Then he left.

Of course, Francesca, Carson, and I were too busy inhaling chips and salsa to notice what was going on up at the counter.

What have you done today?

Moments like this continually serve as a reminder of the generosity of others. What are usually small, simple acts of kindness have a deep, profound effect on others. We've been on the receiving end of that generosity quite a lot recently. And my eyes still fill with tears each time.

To the generous man at Baja Fresh, a heartfelt thank you.

Paul.