People around you, friends or family, don’t always need to give you valuable lessons. It can be strangers, too! A few days ago, something strange happened while she was at the grocery store. It was something we don’t usually expect or see happening, and it was surely not a coincidence either.
While she had a cart full of groceries and was getting everyday necessities, her two children were in the cart. An elderly gentleman approached her. He had a warm smile and started a conversation by complimenting the children.
He adored them first and then asked them a few friendly questions. It was nothing personal, so she didn’t bother at all. Being in a joyful mood, the kids responded rather than reacted, which was a total relief for her, too.
After the short conversation, the man walked away and returned a few minutes later, but something was different this time. Competitively, his facial expressions were more serious. He said: I want to share something with you.
Out of curiosity, she didn’t deny and let him speak whatever he had to, so he started by narrating a story from when his son was five. His son wanted a birdhouse, but he didn’t agree to build one because he was too busy juggling his work and life. Upon hearing that the father wasn’t ready to make him the birdhouse, his boy was disappointed and walked away. But the son wasn’t upset! The moment hit the man hard.
He realized his son was asking for little, yet he still denied it. So, he called him back, and in the next few minutes, they were off to buy the required supplies to build the birdhouse.
While the mother patiently stood in the grocery store, hearing the story, tears rose. She also realized that even though, as parents, the kids are there with them most of the time, the parents are always absent.
While the parents work hard to give their children a good life, they get zoned out checking their phones and are mentally absorbed in the tasks on their to-do lists. In between, they forget to give their children the attention they need and totally deserve.
Thus, although she did not know the man and it was her first time meeting him, the impact he left would stay with her forever. It was more like a wake-up call for the mother than an ordinary story.
Life teaches you stuff, sometimes even when you’re buying groceries!
