It's a wonderful story, true or not as you say LHammonds. It DOES speak to putting self aside for a moment and doing something nice or kind, just for the pure altruistic joy of it. What Vagrant says may also be true, but as the devoted aunt of one Autistic ten year old boy, I can say I see it differently. Instead of giving the kid a break that lulls him into perhaps a false sense of accomplishment, I offer the viewpoint that it does give him a new accomplishment. That first sentence in red says it all- Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. The experience had the potential to not only make some folks feel good, or on the flip side, remove him from the "brutal realities" of this world for a minute; but it also seemed to give him access to something he didn't even know he could do....run that far or that fast. So in the grand scheme of things, will he have harder, larger, uglier obstacles to overcome? Maybe, most do. But did he gain a new skill that day that in the future may help him break a barrier and do something else he may never have ever considered within his grasp to do? Quite possibly. I've seen it happen that way with all kinds of obstacles, mental/physical disability, racial, cultural, religious, et.al. barriers. In our own way we all have a tough row to hoe, but sometimes that one act of kindness, kismet, call it whatever, can open the door to new skills and learning we never thought possible. That's the beauty of the story to me. As Lhammonds says, it will affect each person differently with each person viewing it from behind their own unique lens of experiences. That's a good thing too, cause we need diversity and variety, even the negative kind, or we'd never learn to appreciate those things that eventually become dear to us, as individuals. So right on Lhammonds! Right on Vagrant! But mostly, right on Shay! :smile: