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When restaurants open up again, more people should act like the young men in this story.

For many of us, the coronavirus crisis has exposed just how important social interaction is.

It can feel lonely when you’re cooped up at home all the time.

For some people, this is how they live all of the time. Eleanor Baker is an 80-year-old Alabama resident who had lacked meaningful social interaction for years.

She is a widow, and ever since her husband died, it has just been her and her dog, Rufus, at home.

But Baker loves to eat at Brad’s Barbecue restaurant and often visits the establishment on her own. But one day, she would make some unlikely new friends.

Shortly after Baker entered Brad’s Barbecue, three young men also walked in and took a table. But one of the men, Jemario Howard, noticed Baker sitting alone, and his heart went out to her.

Most people would have put Baker at the back of their mind, perhaps giving the odd glance now and then. But Howard wanted to do more. He realized that he could really make a difference if he sat next to Baker.

So the young man got up, approached Baker and asked if it would be ok if he sat with her. Howard could tell right away that Baker was incredibly grateful for asking.

“He just came up, and he said, ‘I saw you sitting over here alone,’ and he said, ‘Do you mind having some company?'” – Eleanor Baker.

Baker told Howard to go right ahead, relishing the opportunity to strike up a conversation with someone new.

Pretty soon, Howard’s two friends joined them, and they all began talking heartily. Over the course of an hour or so, Baker made three new friends.

But a little later, Howard and his friends admitted that they hadn’t sat next to Baker purely for her benefit. They had all enjoyed connecting with someone new, someone who had learned lots of life lessons and accumilated a wide range of interesting stories.

In fact, Howard and his friends decided that they would love to keep in contact with Baker. Baker was more than happy to stay in touch with them.

Some people may think that it’s strange for three young men to strike up a friendship with an old woman of a different race. But surely the young mens’ attitude is something that we should all strive for? We’re all just human beings who have to live with one another. Yes, we may have some incredibly superficial differences. Yet Howard, Baker and Howard’s friends know that what’s more important is looking out for one another.

“We can show the world that it’s all right to be kind, and then before long, maybe the world will be a much better place.” – Jemario Howard.

Luckily, many, many people online agree with Howard’s words and actions. A news story of Baker and Howard and his friends has gone viral on YouTube. To date, it has gained over 2.1 million views. It also has more than 81,000 likes and 8,700 comments. People have been saying things like this:

Right now, people are looking forward to the coronavirus crisis being over and being able to attend social events again. Wouldn’t it be great if we could all take a page out of Jemario Howard’s book and take time to include the lonely?

An upside of this crisis is that we’ve all started to realize how important it is for us to unite together. Let’s keep that up once things turn back to normal!

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Source: CBS Evening News