Dan "The Sailorman"

There was this man who lived in Saskatoon - If you have been downtown, in the Broadway area, or Holliston, where I live, you probably have seen him.

Dan doesn't own a car, or even take the bus. You could always see him walking, taking large strides, his long grey hair flowing in the breeze. Dan usually had hand drawn pictures of large sailing ships (complete with all the rigging" meticuously drawn using marker on large sheets of plain white paper.

I had seen this man many times before I met him and I laughed when I saw him and said: "There goes that crazy guy, trying to sell his pictures again!"...

After speaking with him, he changed my mind. You see, Dan, spoke with a sailor's accent and has a grizzled face, and full beard and moustache... he could really pass for a sailor! He is a very nice man and is a joy to have a conversation with.

He was very interesting, speaking about how ole Mother Nature could really pack a wallop on the old seas...

I don't know if he is a real sailor or if it's just in his mind. But you know what? It really doesn't matter. He had already enriched my life, just by speaking with him.

So. If you see someone who doesn't appear 'quite right', don't just dismiss them as crazy. They may have a story or two, that can give you a positive look on life. Sometimes it's they who have the most unclouded look at life, unencumbered by daily worries.

Dan has since passed away. I miss our encounters. I still have the stuffed Minnie Mouse he gave me.