In our latest post, we offer up a guest blog from Elizabeth Pedley, aka Sylvia Forrest, author of A View From My Window, a book of wonderfully enlightening short stories. Elizabeth will occasionally be blogging for us in the future so stay tuned for more of her inspirational stories.
She recently had an exchange with a grocery store clerk who reminded her how impactful everyday random acts of kindness can be…
This morning, I was chatting with a lovely woman, probably five or ten years my senior, as she bagged my groceries. I thanked her, and told her how much I appreciated the help (I almost always go through self-checkout).
In return, she told me a story about what happened to her a few weeks ago. She’d been having a rough day, and had been working 50-60 hours per week, when a huge rush occurred. Senior citizen day, and a large bus of seniors had done their shopping.
She looked at the queue at her station and sighed. Boy, did she want to get her shift over with, and go home for a drink!
Just then, a policeman was at the front of the line. He stood beside her, bagged his own groceries, and paid. Instead of leaving, he then proceeded to bag the groceries of the next customer. And the next customer. And the next.
The woman said, “It’s okay; it’s my job.”
“Oh, I know that,” replied the police officer, and he continued to bag groceries.
Well, how long will you be here?” the woman asked. “I’m about to go on break. Can I buy you a Starbucks? You deserve one. You serve us, and now you’re doing my job for me.”
“Is it on your nickel? Then, no. I don’t want you spending your own money on me. I’ll be here for four more hours.”
But when the woman came back from her 15-minute break, he was gone.
“My friend here,” she said to me, gesturing at the cashier, “is still looking for him to come back. Calls him my boyfriend.”
“Sounds like an angel visit to me,” I offered.
The woman left her station and stood before me. “Thank you for saying that. I think so, too. You see, seven years ago, I got a DUI. I’ve been working hard to quit drinking, and I’ve pretty much succeeded. I just finished the sentence. I was relieved, but also so overworked and miserable. All I could think of was how tired I was, and how much I wanted to drink…
“But then that man showed up and gave me a break. Not just any man, but a policeman. When I saw him, I thought about my DUI. It was like a symbol of what I had done, and what I shouldn’t do again.
“Instead of feeling fear, I felt support. He’d said he’d be with me for four hours, and in a way he was – until the end of my shift. When I went home, I didn’t drink. I told my mother I’d been visited by an angel. She thought I was nuts, but you believe me. Thank you. I’m not alone.”
Read more stories about those who have overcome obstacles with the help of others.