Yesterday was a typical day, which included talking to strangers. My kids find this trait to be so embarrassing that their standard eye-rolling just doesn’t seem to be enough. Now they try to preempt my conduct. Yesterday was no exception.
First, let me say that it is true … I often talk to strangers; on the elevator, in the grocery store line and at the health club. There are certain places that I don’t talk to strangers; in a public bathroom, at the gynecologist’s office and usually in the pharmacy line.
Yesterday, I just couldn’t resist a pharmacy line discussion. It wasn’t entirely my fault, the woman seemed to be saying hi to me (although no words came out!) so I thought I knew her! Turns out I didn’t … but I do now!
Somehow we started talking about kids. She told me that she is a single mom of two kids, one with special needs. She works at a low paying job to make ends meet with the support she gets. She says that if she works too much, she gets less help but it costs more to get someone to watch the children (such a catch-22). She has started at a community college so that she can get degree and some day stop getting support.
Eventually, I told her how sorry I was for all the pressures of her life. She told me not to be sorry. Actually, she said, she really feels happy with her life thus far. Yes, it is a difficult existence but she told me how much she loves her children and that she recently met a great man who is as wonderful to her kids as he is to her (now that’s fantastic!). Moreover, she said that she was sure that her kids were giving her a gift by being in her life!
Wow. It really made me think. Let’s be honest – life is what we make it. We have control over our view of how our life is going. We choose whether we will be happy or sad and we have total control over how we treat people and how we view our life experiences.
She chose to view her situation in a positive way – to see it as a gift. I thanked her for the gift of our conversation, gave her a hug (yea, another thing that bugs my kids …. I hug everyone!) and left to finish my shopping.
There are so many amazing people in this world.
I am off for a run and then the kids and I are cooking and feeding the homeless today – our 6th year! I am thankful for the gift of that experience with them. I am also thankful for my family and close friends with whom I will celebrate this holiday weekend. I really am so lucky.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
theyearof50 