NATCHEZ — For the past 23 years, William Earl has spent most of his mornings greeting the people who drive down St. Catherine Street as they pass his house.

“I meet someone new every day just by standing out there,” Earl said. ”I treat everyone the same, white or black.”

“I’m colorblind,” he said.

Earl has lived in Natchez for his entire life and said he knows everyone in town. His familiarity with the town comes from his years of playing football, basketball and running track for North Natchez High School in 1973, Earl said.

“I don’t want to leave, and I wouldn’t want to stay anywhere else,” he said.

Earl said he loves the people here, and even though he knows everyone in town, he is still meeting new people every day as they drive down his street.

Everywhere he goes, Earl said people recognize him and stop to tell him how much they appreciate his simple act of kindness.

“You’d be surprised a lot of people tell me it makes their day,” Earl said.

Happy to do something positive each day, Earl said his hope for humanity would just be for more people get along.

“If there was more love in the world there would be less and less killing,” Earl said. “If everybody was trying to do what is right and good for everyone, good things will come back for you.”

Earl said he has learned a lot standing and waving to strangers from his front lawn, whether a person waves back, or tries to start a conversation or just keeps on driving by and not stop to say hello.

“I don’t judge people though, if people don’t treat me nice I just go about my business,” he said.

Overall Earl said his many years of waving to passersby has taught him Natchez is full of people who treat each other with respect and who are kind to others.