Today while I was at work I saw something that has unfortunately become rare in our world.
A young lady was in my store and upon greeting her, I noticed she was disabled. She had a hard time expressing herself and was slowly looking through racks of clothing for something I couldn't understand. I stood there and talked with her for a few minutes and tried to discover what it was she needed. I was very friendly and sincere, and genuinely wanted to help Gini find what it was she was looking for, but some for reason, I could not get it right.
As I was talking to her, I looked up a few times to see if my coworker could lend some assistance, and I noticed an older lady standing outside the store watching me. When our eyes met she smiled a sympathetic smile and walked proudly through the door. She came over to where Gini and I were standing and simply smiled at her.
I looked at her with confusion. I had no idea what she was doing or what she wanted. After a second, I introduced myself and asked her if she was Gini's mother. "Oh no, dear," was her quick response. "I'm just looking around."
I still didn't understand why she was standing so close to Gini until moments later, after a brief period of silence between my customer and I, when Gini turned to her and started to explain the situation.
The woman was having just as difficult a time as I had been having, but was persistent and decided she'd just go around the store pointing to things and holding up individual items to see if one of them could possibly be it. She told me to "go on and help other customers" and led Gini around the store, section by section. It took the stranger over an hour to finally find what it was Gini had in mind. When she finally had the long red scarf in her hands, an enormous smile crossed her face and she quickly walked up to the counter to pay for the item she had been searching for. The woman just stood there and smiled, and as the total appeared on the screen, helped Gini count out the correct amount of money to purchase the scarf.
The entire time I kept thinking that this woman must have been someone Gini knew, but as the two left the store, the woman put one arm around her, said goodbye, and walked in the opposite direction of her toward the door.
This woman, a stranger who could have walked by, or tried for a minute and given up, stood there with a disabled woman she didn't even know for over an hour. She sacrificed her own time for someone she had just met, and was able to brighten someone's day.
I don't see that very often at work or at school and it brought tears to my eyes as I thought about it on my way home. It's sad that acts of kindness like the one I witnessed today are rare, instead of seen all over every day. Are we all simply too time-crunched to help? Do we just not care? I have no idea who this woman was and neither does Gini, but in one small hour, she managed to bring the focus of several people in that store back to the simple things that really matter.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Vegas Vacation
There are a few things in the world that bring people from different places with different personalities and priorities together, and as silly as it may sound, the water show at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas seems to be one of them.
I spent the weekend in Vegas to relax with some friends before getting into the heaviest part of a new semester. I had an awesome time, and remarkably, I left in the black. But that wasn't the most interesting part. The piece of my short, little weekend vacation that stands out the most to me was watching the water show at the Bellagio and the people that surrounded me. I'd seen it several times before, but I had never really seen it the way I saw it this time.
My friend and I got outside about 10 or 12 minutes before the show was about to start and got a good spot along the front of the water. As the beginning of the show got closer, I watched as literally hundreds of people surrounded the rest of the edges and packed in along side us to watch what has become one of the most well-known tourist attractions of Sin City.
It was a Saturday night, the sky was black, and Vegas was completely packed with people from all over the place. Standing next to my friend and I was a family from Canada on one side, and a couple from New York on the other. Next to that couple was a group of guys that looked like they were there for a bachelor party. Looking across the water we could see all kinds of different people. It was like a big huge melting pot that spilled around the edges of a little body of water for just a minute. Everyone had come for a different reason but at that particular time, all of us somehow made our way to the same spot and talked with friends and strangers until the show started.
When it started, everyone went silent. There was still plenty of background noise from the traffic behind us and the people walking past on their way somewhere else, but I noticed as I looked across and around the water that everyone who was watching the show was quiet. We all stared in a kind of kid-like amazement at what we were watching. Some people cheered when the fountains shot really high and others were silent the whole time, just enjoying the giants spouts of water and the pretty lights that illuminated them. It was pretty cool to look around and see the different looks on people's faces as different things happened in the show. It was like getting to know a little bit about a stranger.
And afterward, we all went out separate ways again. The house (and Vegas) always wins, but in that short five minute show, it tossed a little of it's winnings back out for everyone to enjoy.
I spent the weekend in Vegas to relax with some friends before getting into the heaviest part of a new semester. I had an awesome time, and remarkably, I left in the black. But that wasn't the most interesting part. The piece of my short, little weekend vacation that stands out the most to me was watching the water show at the Bellagio and the people that surrounded me. I'd seen it several times before, but I had never really seen it the way I saw it this time.
My friend and I got outside about 10 or 12 minutes before the show was about to start and got a good spot along the front of the water. As the beginning of the show got closer, I watched as literally hundreds of people surrounded the rest of the edges and packed in along side us to watch what has become one of the most well-known tourist attractions of Sin City.
It was a Saturday night, the sky was black, and Vegas was completely packed with people from all over the place. Standing next to my friend and I was a family from Canada on one side, and a couple from New York on the other. Next to that couple was a group of guys that looked like they were there for a bachelor party. Looking across the water we could see all kinds of different people. It was like a big huge melting pot that spilled around the edges of a little body of water for just a minute. Everyone had come for a different reason but at that particular time, all of us somehow made our way to the same spot and talked with friends and strangers until the show started.
When it started, everyone went silent. There was still plenty of background noise from the traffic behind us and the people walking past on their way somewhere else, but I noticed as I looked across and around the water that everyone who was watching the show was quiet. We all stared in a kind of kid-like amazement at what we were watching. Some people cheered when the fountains shot really high and others were silent the whole time, just enjoying the giants spouts of water and the pretty lights that illuminated them. It was pretty cool to look around and see the different looks on people's faces as different things happened in the show. It was like getting to know a little bit about a stranger.
And afterward, we all went out separate ways again. The house (and Vegas) always wins, but in that short five minute show, it tossed a little of it's winnings back out for everyone to enjoy.
Monday, September 7, 2009
'Tis the Season...for everything nice!
Today is a great day. I slept in, ate some breakfast, picked up a iced latte, and am now enjoying the sunshine and warm weather on one of the last days of summer.
This time during the very end of summer and the very beginning of fall has become my favorite time of the year. The weather is perfect, school has started and everywhere is little less crowded (besides campus, of course), football season is officially upon us, and people all around just seem to be nicer.
The Starbucks lady, for example. Almost every time I go to the Starbucks by my house, the same lady takes my order and makes my coffee. And almost every time, she's upset about something somebody else didn't do that makes her job harder.
The past couple of times I've been in though, she's been extremely pleasant and has been all smiles. I've got no idea as to what has caused the transformation, but I'm going to say it's the fact that the best season of the year has arrived and you just can't be mad during it. It's too obviously a waste of a beautiful day, and you'd only end up being mad at yourself.
One thing I'd definitely be mad at myself for is not planning a weekend vacation. Somewhere not too far away, but somewhere you can do something fun and exciting, and also lay low if that's what you're feeling.
An old friend and I have decided to head to Vegas for the coming weekend. It being the epitomy of "fun and exciting", I think it's a good choice. And to get our opportunity to lay low, we're going to stop in St. George, hang out by the pool, BBQ, and get possibly the last tan of the year.
There's a lot to be said for weekend vacations, epecially during this time of year. Weekends are often taken advantage of during the summer, but become heavily valued with the start of school. Weekend vacations are the perfect length at a time like this, when things are on their way to getting insanely hectic. They don't disrupt any plans or cost too much money, but are the perfect opportunity to relax and get the break you need before diving head first into a new semester and all the other things that come clinging onto it.
A weekend vacation is definitely in order. But for all those who are not taking vacations, I hope you find little vacation-breaks wherever you are and whenever you can. Whether it's taking a nap or going to a football game, I hope you find time to let some seriousness go and live and love life!
This time during the very end of summer and the very beginning of fall has become my favorite time of the year. The weather is perfect, school has started and everywhere is little less crowded (besides campus, of course), football season is officially upon us, and people all around just seem to be nicer.
The Starbucks lady, for example. Almost every time I go to the Starbucks by my house, the same lady takes my order and makes my coffee. And almost every time, she's upset about something somebody else didn't do that makes her job harder.
The past couple of times I've been in though, she's been extremely pleasant and has been all smiles. I've got no idea as to what has caused the transformation, but I'm going to say it's the fact that the best season of the year has arrived and you just can't be mad during it. It's too obviously a waste of a beautiful day, and you'd only end up being mad at yourself.
One thing I'd definitely be mad at myself for is not planning a weekend vacation. Somewhere not too far away, but somewhere you can do something fun and exciting, and also lay low if that's what you're feeling.
An old friend and I have decided to head to Vegas for the coming weekend. It being the epitomy of "fun and exciting", I think it's a good choice. And to get our opportunity to lay low, we're going to stop in St. George, hang out by the pool, BBQ, and get possibly the last tan of the year.
There's a lot to be said for weekend vacations, epecially during this time of year. Weekends are often taken advantage of during the summer, but become heavily valued with the start of school. Weekend vacations are the perfect length at a time like this, when things are on their way to getting insanely hectic. They don't disrupt any plans or cost too much money, but are the perfect opportunity to relax and get the break you need before diving head first into a new semester and all the other things that come clinging onto it.
A weekend vacation is definitely in order. But for all those who are not taking vacations, I hope you find little vacation-breaks wherever you are and whenever you can. Whether it's taking a nap or going to a football game, I hope you find time to let some seriousness go and live and love life!
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