“When a great moment knocks on the door of your life, it is often no louder than the beating of your heart, and it is very easy to miss it. ”--Boris Pasternik
I have discovered that life is FULL of missed opportunities. There are so many times that I could have, should have, but simply didn't. I do really try and listen when someone's name pops onto my heart because more often than not, if I reach out, I discover that they were in my thoughts for a reason. IF I choose not to pay attention, you guess it, opportunity missed!
Missed opportunities . . . I was incredibly blessed to have my son Jordan, his wife Sam, my daughter Sarah, and her boyfriend Jesse stay with me on Thanksgiving Eve. It was a wonderful evening filled with the sharing of childhood memories and just enjoying chatting about what had been going on in our lives. As we were discussing what we were going to do for our blog, we talked about opportunities that "might" be good options to write about. Then I opted to share a story with them about an experience that I had that felt like an opportunity, but really left a sour taste in my mouth.
On Thanksgiving Eve I popped into Bruggeman's which is a grocery store in Mahnomen where I was picking up a couple of last minute items for my supper that night. At the next checkout was a gal that was checking out. I was standing in line so I opted to take the opportunity to people watch which I often do when I am killing time waiting. The gal that was checking out had a bag of junk food. The sales gal was bagging it as the woman dug through her purse for change. There was probably $5.00 in change stacked on the conveyor and the woman checking out handed her a debit card. The sales gal rang up the cash and ran the card. INSUFFICIENT FUNDS. The woman in the check out said that there was no way that was possible and she began to raise her voice. The woman dug in her purse, drug out some more change, and then insisted that the sales gal run the card again. INSUFFICIENT FUNDS. Now, normally I would go over and offer to pay the bill and quietly slip away, and you might be thinking that THIS was my missed opportunity, but it was not.
I decided to fight my knee jerk and watch to see what would happen in the interaction next, and as I watched, I actually began to feel a little testy. The women at the counter became extremely angry at the sales gal. She raised her voice and was very disrespectful. She insisted that the sales gal run the card one more time and again the same result . . . INSUFFICIENT FUNDS. Now, here is where I actually got angry. The women never once offered to remove any items from her bag to bridge the gap between the insufficient funds and the change she had counted out on the counter . . . if she had, I would have paid for her groceries. I was just waiting for the opportunity to "help" another. BUT rather she just stood there . . . she stood their looked at the sales gal . . . and she waited . . . like what was the sales gal gonna do for her? The sales gal went and got her wallet. Took out her own debit card and payed the bill . . . and I left wound up and a little frizzed up! Seriously! I was actually so upset about the scenario that I told a friend, my mom, and then opted to share my story with my kiddos and their significant others. ANDDDDD here in our interaction is where it gets good!
We were all discussing the scenario, I was getting wound up again, and I told them that I wanted to pay for it . . . I would have paid for it, but I was looking to see what would happen first. Then in a moment of total clarity, as if it was the simplest answer in the world, one of them says did you go over and give the sales gal what she had given the woman at the counter . . . you know you could have helped her, after all, she helped out someone who "probably" really didn't deserve it, but she did it anyway. Tail between my legs and ears hanging low, I was totally deflated . . . well . . . I guess I never really thought about that . . . missed opportunity.
BUT the cool thing about missed opportunities is that sometimes we get to make that a new opportunity which is what happened today. Yesterday, I was swamped at work so there was no time for me to create my opportunity; however, today was a different story. TODAY I created a new opportunity and I had a little help from the man upstairs in putting the rest of the puzzle together.
Today, I got a thank you note and wrote something special for the kind sales girl at Bruggeman's. I told her that she did not know who I was, but that I had seen what she had done. I told her how her generosity had touched my heart and allowed me to see the spirit of giving in the kindness of another. I wished her a Happy Holiday Season and put money in the card. I bounced off to my car and I was off.
NOW here is where it gets good. Bear in mind I had only seen her once, I had no clue what her name was, I had no idea if she was working, I knew absolutely nothing except which counter she was working at and that she was working on Thanksgiving Eve. I said a little prayer asking God to help me find her, and guess what, I DID! When I parked by Bruggeman's there she was standing outside smoking. I smiled to myself and hurriedly exited my car. I walked up to her, asked her if she worked there, and she said yes. I then asked her if she was working on Thanksgiving Eve and she hesitantly replied yes. I smiled at her, and said that I thought I recognized her . . . I handed her the card and said thank you:) She looked at me like I was from another planet and she said what is this? I said Merry Christmas and I bolted away.
I quickly got into my vehicle, but I heard her holler "thank you, thank you!" And as I made my way through the parking lot in my vehicle, she and her co-worker were huddled together and reading the card . . . and then I saw it . . . I saw her look up and wave to me as the tears trickled down her face. She had the biggest smile, and quite honestly, even as I write I am smiling!!!! Life IS full of missed opportunities, but if we look maybe, just maybe can we find a way to create a new one. Hopefully, then maybe you CAN see what I saw:)
Sarah Day 6: Missed Opportunities
We cheated a little today . . . Sarah is sick today
and spent most of the night throwing up. She is under the weather and I
called her today to check and see how she was feeling. Guess what, she is
not so hot. I offered to write for both of us as I knew she was cuddled
in bed complete with her kitty family, but she wanted to write a little.
I shared the joy of my day with her and this was her response.
When I hear the words "missed opportunity" the first thing that pops in my mind, is regret. Regret that I thought about what I could have done, after the opportunity has passed. Missed opportunity means not doing something and wishing I would have.
Mom's post today about how she came back from a missed opportunity is beautiful. She did something for someone that takes courage. She missed her opportunity because she didn't think about what she could do in that moment. Later that day, when she did think about what she could have done, she fixed it. Mom went back to that store with hopes that she would recognize that employee, and she did what she wished she would have done to begin with. She handed that woman a card with a bit of cash in it, said "this is for you," and she left.
Mom said that this was one of her best "feel good" moments ever. She was able to watch the reaction of the young woman and leave knowing that she did something wonderful. She did something that woman was going to appreciate and be thankful for.
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