Dancing for the joy of it, hard worker and honored

Street dancer at the corner of Howell Mill Road and Chattahoochee Avenue in Atlanta. Photos taken through the windshield.

- During tax season, he can be found up the street dancing his heart out while wearing a Statue of Liberty costume. I guess the proprietors of this furniture outlet know a good thing when they see it. I only have to go this way once in a week on Tuesday afternoon when headed toward volunteer work, but I love watching him dance and direct traffic while doing so. He dances for the sheer joy of it.

- Another hard worker, neighbor Kevin, is up and leaving for work while I am watering outside plants at 5am. He opens up a Chick-fil-A store for breakfast, but has a newly acquired Masters degree in Education and cannot find employment as a teacher. We wave cheerfully this morning as he leaves, having a mutual understanding that 5am is too early to be chatting.

- And my heart swells with pride as I read an online newspaper article about a young woman still in her 20s, who is now president of her city's Rotary Club. She is an officer at her bank and serves on the board of directors for three organizations. This is the line I am proudest of, that my niece gives a shout out not only to her parents, but both sets of grandparents, too: “I will always be involved in my community,” she says. “I was raised by parents and grandparents that were involved in their community, and I don’t know any other way!”