Heartlanta Journal

I walked out to the beltline with a brookie and 2 cans of pre-biotic soda from Trader Joe’s as bait. The art of starting a conversation proved to be difficult for me in the past couple years, so I brought my bribes in hopes of finding someone to speak with.

Losing hope, I stopped for a second at one of the bridges to take a picture and enjoy the warm, lovely, and fleeting weather in ATL.

A man on an electric scooter shouted “hey!” Hmmm. Typically, I’m guarded as I’m a woman in Atlanta, but on a sunny day in a bustling place where I’m awaiting my next victim for my article, I put aside my reservations and decided to open my heart to the warm greeting, and returned my own “hey!!”

What’s Up?

Wisdom turned out to be such a friendly and respectful character; as a Nigerian-born poet and healthcare recruitment company founder, we found commonalities at numerous points. As time passed, we navigated topics near and dear to us, such as the creative experience of the African diaspora and the difficulties of the current job market as a young person. Despite owning a recruitment company, I sensed empathy and understanding in his response, which I did not expect (my hasty judgement yet again, oops). He offered advice, and I know he would extend his help to other people who actually wanted a job in the healthcare sector.

After vibing for a while, he offered me a ride on his electric scooter and I told him “h*** no!” I’ve seen enough ER stories. He laughed and respected my wishes, and I finally shared my brownies as he offered to get drinks in return.

He took a pic of me on my digital camera within the first couple minutes of meeting during sunset:

And I took a pic of him after sunset as seen earlier!

Note: He did a great job taking this pic, what a lovely way to be perceived by a complete stranger, just hair flowing, admiring nature and taking a moment to reflect on life’s beauty amongst the chaos.

Bye Wisdom!

We then parted ways, and I reflected on the experience and my major takeaways. 

1. I admired how he took the first step, a lesson I can take in bridging the gap in society when it comes to people. 
2. He has an optimistic outlook on life, as he wants to live life from abundance rather than from reflecting on what he doesn’t have. I’m the opposite, but I can absolutely do better.
3. I enjoy that my voice mattered enough for a stranger and vice versa. I really did find a friend.

Many days later he provided me with a poem he wrote about our adventure from his POV, with a small excerpt below:

“Energy restored.

Spirit lifted.

Smile returned.

I had met God again;

not in a temple,

not in silence

but in the presence of another human being.”

What an honor. To think that we can contribute to someone’s life by being ourselves, sharing our perspectives, and being inspired by one another. How beautiful is that?

Let’s Support a Heartlantan!

Wisdom’s healthcare recruitment company is Prixelle (check it out), and he’s travelled all over the world due to his career in clinical trials! He has a poetry book he wants to publish soon called “Between the Lines” that he is passionate about.

This may help my fellow job seekers in the healthcare field, and it may also inspire fellow artists to get out there or to write poetry. Who knows?

It was truly a pleasure, and the first welcome heart in my journal. 

Thank you, Wisdom!