Last evening I made a quick run to Walmart for a few essentials. I went down one aisle and noticed an employee, a woman in her fifties or sixties, straightening up a shelf. I stopped about 10 feet away from her and on the opposite side of the aisle, to search for an item. I heard a cheery voice say, “Happy Holidays!” Assuming the comment was not directed at me, and not sure where it came from, I looked around to see who was speaking. She and I were the only ones in the aisle and she was still focused on her work. She then turned and looked at me with a smile on her face and I could tell by her expression that she was addressing me. So I smiled and replied “Happy Holidays to you! I wasn’t sure you were speaking to me at first.” She chuckled and said “I thought it would be good to be pleasant. It can’t hurt, right?” Me: “It doesn’t hurt at all. In fact, it helps.” Her: “The holidays will be hard for me this year because I lost my mother.” Me: “Yes, that is hard. I lost my mother in law and am missing her.” We then chatted about missing loved ones over the holidays.
She had a very unusual color treatment to her hair and I complimented her on it. Her: “Really? You like it? I just got it done.” She explained the process to me. We chatted more about hair color and style and I wished her a good evening and started to walk away. She called after me, “You’re a nice lady.” I turned and replied, “You are too…and you look great!” she beamed. This whole conversation took about 90 seconds and left such a positive and warm feeling with me. I woke up this morning thinking about her and sending her loving kindness. It only takes a moment to make a meaningful connection.
© Donna Cardillo (DonnaCardillo.com). All rights reserved.
