It was a few days before Thanksgiving, and I was walking down the street near Central Station in Boston. It was crisp, as fall days can be, and life was truly excellent. I had just eaten lunch with my friend Samantha in a strange, yet oddly delicious health-food restaurant. Indeed– I was full, content, and looking forward to this year’s Thanksgiving celebrations.

As I walked along the street towards the train station, I noticed a man just outside a grocery store, begging for money. My heart went out to him, and I approached.

“Excuse me, Sir? I don’t have any cash on me, but I can buy you something from the store if you want.”

The man was ecstatic, “Yes! I would love that!”

“Ok, what would you like?”

“Well, I could really use some celery.”

“…Celery…” Did I hear that right? The man wanted…celery?

I asked him, “Are you sure you want celery? I don’t think it’s very filling…”

He looked at me and rebutted, “Yes, I need it to bring to my sister’s Thanksgiving meal. She told me she won’t let me come if I don’t bring the celery.”

That day, I was baffled. I wondered what might have caused that situation. How strange an experience…

That, my friends, was the day a poor man asked me for celery.