The man who waves

Each time we take our son to playschool, we often pass a really nice old guy who always waves to us. He is always walking, wearing his luminous jacket and a walking stick. Whenever we pass, he always gives us a smile and waves. We've never met him but we know he's a nice old chap. You can tell by his cheerful expression. No matter the weather, he always seems to be there. He must walk up and down the same stretch of road for most of the day. We sometimes see him chatting to people so he must be well-known. A while back, he would be seen walking his dog. It was a black Labrador and we could tell it was getting on in years as it was always walking some way behind him. It was some time ago we noticed his dog was no longer with him and we deduced from this that his dog must have died. So he now walks alone, seemingly without a care in the world, each day greeting every passing motorist. I don't want to know anymore about him. He knows us and we know him. The smile and wave are enough. He may have fought in the war or worked the land, with hundreds of tales to tell of bygone Lincolnshire and Sutton Bridge. Or he may have some terrible secret to live with, hidden by his cheery exterior. I don't want to know. For me, he's the cheery old man who makes me feel good every day and lets me know that everything's 'alright' when my life is otherwise in 'turmoil'. He'll never know the difference he makes...