Eight years ago, Al Nixon decided to work for the city's water department. From then on, he would 1 at 4:30 every morning, sitting for 2 hours on a bench with a good view of the waterfront of St.Petersburg, Florida. Nixon 2 it "life rising" because watching a 3 made him feel good before starting his day.
A year later, a woman stopped to say hello, and 4, "Seeing you sitting here every morning, I know everything is going to be OK." What she said changed Nixon's 5 on his daily routine. After that, instead of 6 straight ahead at the waterfront, Nixon started smiling at people and striking up 7 Pretty soon, many early risers began 8 him on the bench, telling him about their worries and asking him for 9 about relationships, careers, and personal problems.
"I was happy to listen," Nixon, 59, said. "I wanted them to walk away 10 they were not alone." Nixon lends a (n) 11 to whatever problem a person wants to share. A couple once 12 to talk about problems in their relationship. The husband was always working, rarely home, which was 13 their marriage. Nixon told him, "My friend, if you go on like this, you are 14 to lose your wife." The man 15 that Nixon was right and agreed that he needed to slow down.
His presence and his openness to listen have led some to nickname him the Sunshine Mayor.
