Every once in awhile, I encounter a stranger that possesses the ability to make me stop and take a moment in the midst of the whirlwind of life to reflect. If at the end of our lives, we do have the opportunity to briefly reunite with those surprising individuals, who touch our lives, then I hope I get the chance to talk to the lady at the checkout line.
These days, it's so easy to be cynical-- especially when you are in a lucrative yet supposedly altruistic field. It's hard to see the good in people. I can't help but feel like we are about as much in God's image as some five year old's play-doh model is an imitation of Michaelangelo's statue of David. It's hard to believe that people were meant to be good, when every day we see them lie, cheat, steal, and kill one another.
And as sad as that is in itself, it is sadder still that for me it seems to get worse around the holiday season. I still remember my first experience shopping on Black Friday last year. People were angry and hostile towards one another. No one wanted to be at the store. No one wanted to deal with other people, much less care about them. The gifts weren't really gifts anymore; they were inconvenient obligations. Maybe we do love the people we buy gifts for, but maybe we've also lost the joy that was meant to accompany gift-giving. It's caused us to make an addendum to the phrase "goodwill to all" and coverted it into "goodwill to all that we care about."
Rather than eagerly expecting the holidays, I've learned to dread them. Black Friday was so named for the goal of retailers' sales, but even more so, to me it's come to reflect the darkness in the human heart, including my own.
But today I was reminded that we weren't meant to be like this. We weren't meant to stomp all over one another's feelings. We weren't meant to be so egotistical, so selfish. That lady at the checkout line helped to restore my faith in humanity, even just a little. As I was walking out of the store, she called out and told me I'd forgotten something. As she handed me the bag, a huge smile crossed her face from ear to ear. It was the kind of smile you expect from the fast food worker taking your order, or the retail worker ringing up your purchase.
We exchanged only a handful of words, but that smile conveyed a message to me that I've been long overdue for. It reminded me that despite the fact that people can be irrational, selfish, calloused, and even malicious, it's important to love them. It's easy to love the people that love you back. But where's the sacrifice in that? What's the point if we're only entering into relationships in which we know love will be reciprocated? That woman didn't have to smile at me in the way that conveys warmth and love. But she did. And it reminded me of the person that I'd like to be, yet fail to be on a daily basis. I'm not even close. I've bought into the belief that people aren't appreciative and they aren't worth it. But she reminded me that that isn't true. People are worth it. After all, I used to be one of those individuals that wasn't "worth it," but I like to think that the people who faced the risk of unrequited love and even animosity don't regret it.
With that said, I want any of you that read my posts regularly to call me out when I'm not being the kind of person I should be. Get up in my face about it when I'm being selfish. Remind me that I need to do more for other people, and I need to do it with love without expectations.
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I'm not going to write my usual Thanksgiving note this year recounting all the trite things that I am vaguely thankful for. But I did want to take some time to say that I am thankful for all of you that read this, regardless of whether or not you've ever "liked" or commented on anything I write. Or if you're a note stalker. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, filled with the warmth of appreciation and love.
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