In today’s busy world, Alexander is a throwback to the pleasantries of the past — to a simpler time when saying hello to a stranger on the street was the thing to do, not the thing to avoid.

People now “are wrapped up in doing what they’re doing, maybe thinking about other things, maybe they’re just too much in a hurry, they want to get to where they are going and back,” says Golden Gate Park gardener Jerry Colombana.

“But not Jacob,” says Colombana, who met Alexander 14 years ago by the tulip garden near the ocean. “He’s on a trip around the world and whenever he gets there he gets there. He’s got time for everybody he meets up with.”

Routine activities, done just for the joy of them.  Those are great ways to put fitness and wellness back into our lives.

I’ve met Jacob, and have seen him on his walks.  I used to do T’ai Chi in the mornings in the pan handle, and he also used to come into the stores were I worked when I worked on the Haight; Pacific Pharmacy before it closed, and the Ben & Jerry’s on Haight & Ashbury.  Does my heart good to know he’s still out there.