A New Perspective
I approached the bench and quietly said, “Don’t mind me,” as I slipped onto the bench beside him. The stranger nodded, and then returned to his work.
Beside me the gentle tapping of keys reminded me of the busy day I had before me, and within a few minutes I stood and left the park. The office awaited.
Several days later I returned to the park and found myself slightly perturbed when I noticed the man was once again pecking away at his computer. He glanced up, smiled, and folded the screen down on his laptop.
“Sorry,” he said and gestured for me to sit down. “I don’t mean to turn your park into my office.”
I felt the annoyance with this stranger melt away at his smile. “I’m Jon,” I said and extended my hand.
The stranger rose and tucked the laptop beneath his left arm. “Tom. Nice to meet you. I’m in town for just a couple of weeks, visiting family.”
I smiled at his obvious hint that “my spot” would not be taken forever.
“You seem busy,” I said and pointed at the laptop. “Are you able to pick up a wireless signal in the park?”
“As a matter of fact, yes,” Tom said. “I’m sure it’s not secure, but I’m just sending emails and posting updates to my blog. It’s how I make my living.”
“Must be nice,” I said and inwardly cringed. Tom could not have been more than 30 years old, and here he was “making a living” with a blog. “I guess you’re one of those Internet marketing gurus?”
“Well, I’m not what you could call a guru,” Tom said and sat back down on the bench. “Truth is, I’m what they call a newbie. I can write and send emails, post messages in chat rooms, and post articles on my blog, of course, but that’s about it. Does that make me a guru?”
“I suppose not,” I said and stared at the water trickling down the rock face of the fountain. Across the park a young woman tossed a tennis ball to an energetic terrier and a teenager pumped his skateboard down the sidewalk as he texted a message into his iPhone. I hesitated for a moment, and then finally turned to Tom and asked the most important question in my entire life. “How do you make a living from a blog?”
Tom smiled and opened his laptop. “I thought you would never ask.”
