Pandemic, unrest, anger, confusion, arguments: these are just a few of the highlights we see in our newspapers, online, on the nightly news and, frankly, it is enough to cause one to feel down if they’re not already feeling a bit down.
I want to share with you some places, individuals and times, some current, some not, that helps keep me centered in an ever-changing world.
I think of a lady who works at a convenience store in the county where I live. For many years, she has managed this convenience store. She is not paid a mint of money and she will never be rich. During the years she has worked there, she’s lost a daughter, experienced a few health issues, but, through it all, she greets her customers with a smile and continues to make one of the best cups of coffee of anyone I know. Now, this may seem like a small thing to some people. But, in the scheme of this thing called life, it’s a big thing and I, for one, wish there were a few more of her to share with others and spread around.
I think of a man I know who lives in another county. He is retired but was a professional man, a member of the medical field for years and years. He has a great sense of humor and he shares that sense of humor in a marvelous way with so many. When I was his patient, he always made me smile. Now that he is retired, he and his wife travel often to New England during the summer months and I know whomever he meets will leave with a smile and some laughter. He has the gift of sharing humor, laughter and making one feel better in general about the world. What a marvelous gift!
I know a lady who stood on her feet for years, and, to use a good old Southern term, she “did hair.” She was a hairdresser. Standing on her feet and greeting her customers with a smile and inviting them in to make them feel better about themselves. In the north, people go to analysts. In the South, we tell those who cut our hair. One day when I was in her shop I saw a lady sitting under the dryer. She was in a world of her own under that dryer and the tears just streamed down her face. The lady who was the kind hairdresser whispered to me, “She just lost her husband.” That day I watched the lady who was the hairdresser.
She gave the lady time and, when it came time for her to “comb her out,” she said “Sweetheart, I want you to try some of the best pound cake ever made in this county or anywhere else, how about it?”
“I would love that,” responded her customer. The lady turned to me and said “Johnny, run down to the drug store and bring us all a fountain Coke.” You know in the South any carbonated drink from the fountain is a Coke or, as we sometimes refer to it, “A Co-Cola.” I watched the lady eat her cake and drink her coke and her whole countenance changed. I am thankful for this lady and so many like her who helped change the mood and outlook of others. That’s a gift.
I know of a man in another county who has written for a local paper for many years. He knows as much about the history of that county and its school system as anyone I know. In his column, he transports people on a trip down memory lane to places and times that were very happy for them. He writes columns that can make the grayest skies seem bluer, as he pulls back the curtain of time for individuals and, for just a moment, they glimpse a world they knew and loved.
So, what is the secret of making it through difficult times and hard situations? I will tell you there is no secret, but, at times when we are going through difficult times, it is not the BIG actions that make a difference, not a vote in Congress, not a presidential election, not a Queen’s coronation. It is a great cup of coffee and smile from a lady at a convenience store. It is a joke told that brings laughter from a man who was in the medical field, it is a slice of pound cake and a fountain Coke from a beautician who knows her customers and it is an octogenarian plus still sharing happiness in a newspaper column because he remembers.
I am so thankful to have these people in our world and I would adjure each of us to cherish them, appreciate them and know they do make a huge difference in our lives.
From the Eight Mile Still on the Woodpecker Route north of White Springs, wishing you a day filled with joy, peace and, above all, lots of love and laughter.