The Walking Man.
Despite being a fabulous song by James Taylor, the "Walking Man" is a name I have given to a man that walks on our road every morning for brisk, physical exercise. He's around seventy years old and has been sporting the same lime green windbreaker, his favorite walking attire, since I was in kindergarten.
He's quite a memorable person in my home, particularly because my mom almost kills him every morning when we speed down our driveway in an attempt to not be late for school. Seriously, he just appears whenever our car shoots like a bullet into the road.
My mom always sees him just in time to divert an emergency room visit, though, and the man smiles and waves and, as James Taylor would sing, "The walking man walks on by."
Family memories like that become part of us for life. Even if you never learn to know him, he will be part of how you remember "home".
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