Everybody . Is . A . Story
How many assumptions do we make about the people we meet? About them as a person? About their lives?
Do you know the name of the people you regularly meet? I’m not talking about your partner or your children or your friends. I’m talking about the other people, the ones who regularly cross your path.
Do you know anything about the person who regularly serves you at your local supermarket or green-grocers? Do you know that their mother recently had surgery? Do you know that the young man who carries your veggie box to your car left his homeland and family for a better life here?
Do you know the name of your local butcher and what time they get to work in the morning? Do you know that they love to go trail-bike riding in their spare time? And that they are pretty good at clay pigeon shooting?
Do you know your local lollypop person? Do you know that they used to work at the Zoo and that they love looking after animals?
Do you know your local Cheeseman? Do you know that he has passion for cycling and takes regular trips to the Alps?
Do you know the waiter at your local cafe? Do you know that a close friend of theirs tragically died and they’re having a tough time not crying while they serve you?
Do you know your local bookstore owner? Do you know that they lived in France for a couple of decades before bravely leaving an unfulfilling relationship? Do you know that they’re now living in your part of the world because they met someone they call their ‘unexpected surprise’?
As a young person working a variety of jobs to support myself through University, I remember there were times when other people treated me as invisible just because I was the waitress or the cleaner or the shop assistant. I remember how horrible I felt, how insignificant and unimportant.
I vowed that I would never treat another person that way and so have made it a point to take time with the people I meet, the people who serve me, who make my coffee, who recommend the best cheese, who make my life easier.
This doesn't mean that I chat for an endless amount of time with them. Or that I know the life story of everybody I meet. It means that I make an effort to ‘see’ them. It means actually looking into their eyes when I give them my money, it means sincerely smiling at them. Sometimes I have the opportunity to ask them something about themselves. And then, I LISTEN.
Through this I have developed connections with people that I otherwise would not know. Some of them have become good friends and have visited my home.
Ultimately, my life is the richer for having met them; for opening my world and heart to their lives. For whatever time we have that our life stories cross paths, I have been blessed.
Whose story will you learn?
