I had not taken the camera out in
awhile, and last weekend heard about a break dancing contest that was
taking place at the Jacksonville Landing. The first thought that came to
mind was video footage for the gallery that would allow me to work on
my video editing technique, and off I went! As usual, click each photo
for a better view.
I
found a good spot and sat down ready to let the action unfold and then I
realized I had forgotten to charge either one of the two batteries for
the camera just before some of the performers began practicing. What to
do, what to do? And then I got the idea to go to one of the near by
restaurants and offer to pay if they would allow me to plug in my
charger.
I
love Italian food and just as I looked up there was the Italian
restaurant Vito's. I went in and spoke with the manager who brushed away
my request to pay and allowed me to plug in my charger no questions
asked. He may have thought of it as a small gesture but it spoke volumes
for me because I was not a paying customer but someone who had walked
in off the street.
I
returned to my spot, that another spectator had kindly held for me, and
began filming. The guys performing were more than entertaining as one
after another they performed stunt after stunt attempting to out perform
each other. A few times I smiled to myself because I knew my back-up
battery was charging and would allow me to film to my hearts desire.
Once
I had enough footage I realized that it was a hot Florida day and
filming is hard work. What better treat than to walk one last time over
to Vito's and have a meal while I cooled off. In line with how the day
had been going, I was served by the nicest waitress you could ever
imagine.
Her
name was Josie and despite a shy smile she made certain the delicious plate of mussels was a delight. What went through my mind as I gobbled down the mussels was that despite feeling at times that our society has gotten
rude and hardened, that there are still kind people in the world. Over
and over during my adventure people had gone out of their way to offer
assistance without any thought of reward, except that what they did was a
nice thing to do.
As
I work on editing the video footage from the contest I periodically
smile to myself in thanks to all the people who in their own way helped
me complete the project. Yes, you meet the nicest people...
