I’ve had two unexpected moments with strangers over the last month which are still lingering with me.
The first happened on March 9th. We were heading home from Boston after meeting our then six-week-old (adorable!) grandson. March 9th also marked the beginning of the fourth week of TSA employees working with no pay.
I’ll admit that the security line wasn’t terrible because we were right on the cusp of Spring Break for colleges and families; but it would quickly ramp up that same week. We felt lucky to be heading home before the predicted snaky long lines. What a mess.
I had walked up to a female TSA agent, and she told me to look at the camera so it could scan my features for facial recognition.
Then, out of nowhere, she asked, “Are you a teacher?”
“No”, I responded, “but I wish I could say yes” I added and smiled at her.
“Why do you think I might be a teacher?” I asked out of curiosity.
“Because you look so huggable.”
I have never been told I look huggable by a stranger in my entire life.
“Oh!” I exclaimed. “Thank you.” Basically, I was dumbfounded. Later, I wondered if I still had “grandma glow” and I could have easily attracted younger children to hug me, and somehow, she had picked up on that.
But it wasn’t about the fact that this employee zeroed in on my apparent potential for receiving hugs, it was that she was in her fourth week of a stressful job where she didn’t know how long it would be until she was paid, and she took the time anyway to take a step up and share a kind word, and connect with me when it should have been me offering a kind moment with her. I found that remarkable. That agent has a special energy.
The second moment happened about ten days ago. I was at the grocery store in the middle of the snack aisle. I was busy scanning the choices, looking for inspiration. Popcorn? Sun Chips? A petite, elderly gentleman was standing very close to the shelves. He would look one way, then the other. I noticed it, but it just didn’t register why he was doing it.
Then, he suddenly tried reaching for something on the top shelf, but he couldn’t get it.
Of course, I immediately asked, “Can I help you with that?” and just grabbed the bag in question and handed it to him.
I was about to returned to my spot to resume my snack choice search, when he grabbed my hand with both of his hands and started shaking it over and over saying “thank you, thank you so much” staring at me while I stared back at him and his kind eyes; it was this moment where I was almost overwhelmed as I knew I had only grabbed something; it was no Herculean task.
But he was so grateful for my help anyway that suddenly that handshake filled me with gratitude. I was grateful to be there to help him, to make a difference for a stranger, no matter how small. And that made me feel good. I suddenly wanted to help everybody and actually looked down a couple of aisles afterwards for candidates.
Maybe I just haven’t had enough positive moments with strangers lately, so these two examples stuck out. One chose not to focus on herself, but on an older woman and show her some kindness. And the other who was so gracious in his thank you, that he channeled it directly to a stranger’s heart. Both were more than a flash; they hit something inside, leaving a lasting impression.
Leaving something good in others as we move through our days is a gift. In a hurried and self-focused world we find ourselves in, I had forgotten that. Moments matter.
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