Can You Lend An Ear?

While I was at work one day this week doing my tables (I work in retail and was assigned to the clothing tables) I heard exclamations of, “Oh my God, I cannot believe I find a pair, wow I’m so happy.” I ignored the lady and kept folding the articles of clothing on my table grumbling under my breath about the inconsideration of customers who dug up the tables of clothing as if seeking gold, especially when all the sizes are displayed prominently on the pieces of clothing. I was in my own world minding my own business and I just kept going.

I heard another shout of, “Oh my God another pair, wow today is my lucky day, doesn’t take much to make me happy at all wow!” This time I spun around and a lady about 60-65 years old was going through some designer jeans and found herself two pairs of black ones in size 14 and she was ecstatic. I honestly thought she was talking to her friend or maybe a fellow shopper but she was alone. I know why she was so happy, the retail establishment carried a lot of designer clothing labels and the price was great compared to the department store and savvy shoppers know a great deal when they see one and to find your size on that particular day was like icing on the cake. The sizes go real fast as sometimes shoppers shop for their friends and relatives also. It’s not unusual to see them on their cell phone describing or taking pictures and then leaving with several pairs.

Still I gave her a half smile and resumed my folding. She walked up to me still talking. “I can’t believe I found my size, you see, I lost a pant size and… then I heard, oh you don’t really care”… I stopped short, put away the article of clothing I had and gave her my full attention. I looked her in the eye and apologized.
“I’m sorry, you were saying?”
It so happened she lost a pant size because she was on a diet, so I congratulated her and then she said it was a starvation and a suffering diet. I was puzzled. She explained that her mom had died recently and then her house was burnt to the ground all her possessions, memories were now ashes and now she was living temporarily elsewhere. She also explained that because of all that she had gone through her appetite was non-existent. I told her I was so sorry she had to experience all of that and hopefully things can only get better from then on.

Finding the jeans in her new size and for the price she paid, she was expressing new-found joy I guess, about the little things that made her happy. She wasn’t giving up; she was determined to still find her joy. She was grateful and happy enough to share her joy and her story knowing all that she went through recently and I felt this (put your thumb and forefinger close together) big for my behavior and selfishness towards her expressions of joy earlier. So wrapped up I was in myself!

I know the lesson is to be thankful and grateful for the little things and not to take anything or anyone for granted. It took a senior citizen who had gone through hell and back to remind me. Thanks lady!
“Dear God, thanks for all my blessings, those I’ve acknowledged and those I have not Amen!”