Woman Witnesses Kindness Of Waiter Sitting With Lonely 91-Year-Old Veteran At Diner

Aug 22, 2019 by apost team

Human interaction is so integral to our mental health and emotional wellbeing. Often as we age, we watch our friends pass on and see less and less of our family members. You could even go as far as saying that there's currently a loneliness epidemic amongst senior citizens, many of whom spend their days in total isolation, with almost no human interaction to speak of.

24-year-old Dylan Tetil seems like a pretty average guy at first. He works as a waiter at the Eat’n Park diner in Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania. With his trendy haircut and his skin covered in tattoos, many would probably dismiss him as just another self-centered millennial.

One afternoon, Dylan had one last table to serve before going on his break. It was a 91-year-old man who was dining alone. After taking the old man's order of chicken and mashed potatoes with apple pie for dessert, Dylan did something beautiful. He skipped his break and decided instead to sit down and talk to the old man.

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The old man wasn't just any old man. He was a veteran with lots of stories from his glory days. The old man apologized for forgetting to wear his hearing aids, but Dylan wasn't doing much of the talking anyway. Instead, Dylan asked him questions about his life, listening intently and hoping to gain some insight from what the old man had to say.

Unknown to Dylan and his new friend, Lisa Meilander was watching their interaction, discreetly listening to what they were saying. She quickly was overcome with emotion and tears began to stream down her face as she realized what a beautiful thing Dylan was doing for a total stranger.

By the end of their lunch, the old man had tears in his eyes as well. It had been a long time since he'd had a conversation with anyone, much less anyone who truly seemed eager to hear his stories.

Lisa decided to snap a few pics of the new lunch buddies and couldn't resist the urge to share them with her friends on social media. The photos have now gone viral and the internet has been deeply moved by Dylan's loving act of compassion. When the local news media outlet KDKA-TV went into the restaurant later to interview Dylan, he was moved by what had happened, but admirably humble about the idea that he was somehow heroic.

"It was just two human beings talking,” Dylan said.

The extraordinary waiter also revealed that he's currently studying radiology at the nearby community college and hopes to spend the rest of his life helping others.

What do you think about Dylan's act of kindness? Have you ever witnessed something similar? We would love to know! Dylan reminds us all that it takes just a little bit of kindness to make a huge change in someone's life. Show this story to anyone who needs a reason to feel hopeful today.