WOW someone totally won today for me ! I cannot even express right now how what happened just brought me the biggest smile ! I may share the story or keep it to myself. But seriously WOW. The sheer bravery of people to say hello to a fellow like me who they do not know and then bring me out of my “zone” Love it !!
Sometimes something happens that absolutely blows your mind and makes your day. Today December 23 was one of those days.
First is the story then the lesson learned.
Denny’s is my office. It’s where I go to edit photos, read and write. Tonight started like most others until a family walked in. A young girl who looked no more than 20 years old walked in and smiled at me. As her family enjoyed their dinner she would turn and smile at me a few times, I returned the smile each time. She had a bright and friendly smile about her. At one point I was on the phone and when the conversation ended, this young lady started speaking with me.
She asked me if I was going to be singing on Christmas Eve, to which I said no, I would be spending the evening with my family. . At first I was a little confused, then realized I had been singing along with songs on my computer while editing photos ( I do not sing well lol) She had heard me singing.
I sat and spoke with this young lady for about 10 minutes and with her family. After a while I went back to doing my editing again and she would continue to smile that bright beautiful smile at me. The family would turn and smile at me as well.
I think it was great that she was brave enough to engage me in conversation. Her name was Christine.
Christine came back to the table and spoke with me a little again and wished me a Merry Christmas before their dinner was done. This was a very sweet and cute gesture.
So this is where the story ends right ? Wrong. The family, a little later and Christine, gave me a Christmas Card with some very kind words in it.
Here is what the Card said inside. “ May God continue to bless you and your family as you celebrate the miracle of the birth of our Lord.!” God has blessed you with such gifts of music. May you continue to bless others and your family with the gifts of his glory.
J Fred, Sheryl and Christine.
Now, you may be wondering…… why is this story a good one and why did it make your day?
This young lady has Aspergers, a form of Autism, I learned this tonight in discussion with my waitress, who knows the family well as they are regulars on Sundays.
This girl was brave enough to say hello and talk with me. For that in itself I was blessed. I could have ignored her, hey, I didn’t know her story or why she wanted to talk to me. I was working (kinda). Instead I spoke with her and had a great conversation that blessed me more than I think she will know.
I must note here that I had no clue that this young lady had Autism until I was told. Also, she was 28 years old ! I did realize quickly, there was something different about her and it had nothing to do with her “disability”
Her “different” She was brave, took a chance to talk with someone with no worry about anything negative happening. I am not shy but how often would I even do that? How many times would I have seen a cute girl and not said hi ? Or even a group of people? She was patient, friendly, unique and had a beautiful smile and shared it with me.
The Blessing. This truly made my heart warm and flattered me.
The lesson. Be brave, take a shot. How many missed opportunities do we have if we remain in our little bubble and are afraid of people’s perception ? Or afraid of rejection or negativity? I guarantee I have missed out on many a good conversation because I was afraid to say hello. I am not just referring to meeting women. I am referring to any one person I could have said hello to and chose not to. Share your smile, your story, share something. That girl sharing a little something gave me an experience I am thankful for especially after the year I have had and add to that it’s Christmas and I am usually a stress case at this time of year.
I hope to be as open as Christine in my interactions.
Going into the New Year I encourage you to say hello to that stranger, you do not know what a difference you could make. You may get rejected from time to time, but those few times that you do get a conversation I am confident will be amazing.
Mini