I recently had car trouble. That led to me getting a new car and passing down my old one to my mom.
Being without a car for that time meant that I missed my cousin’s baby shower. Once I got my new car, I went to a local post office to send the gifts.
Before I went, I read the online guide and tried to prepare myself for my first post office visit. I let the worker know I needed one package to stay in Michigan and the other to go to Wisconsin. She pointed to the supplies behind me and told me I could use those.
“Ah, of course.”
I started pulling out boxes to check the sizes. I studied and prepared, but didn’t bother to measure the items I needed to mail. I’m sure I looked naive. I pulled out each box, opened it, and compared its size to the items I was sending. Finally, the box on the bottom shelf worked.
I was mailing a book to my family as well. I had my stuff spread across the counter. I tried to assemble and pack the box as quickly as possible.
A man walked behind me and up to the counter.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to take up the whole surface.”
I slid the book and packing supplies to the right. He told me he was trying to read the cover. I apologized again. I thought I was in the way. He laughed and told me he thought it looked interesting and he tried to read it as I moved it away.
He asked me if I wrote the book.
My nervous laugh escaped. “No, but I am one of the 90 some authors in it.” I turned the book over so he could read the back.
He was mailing photos to his family. He said he got a good deal on the booklets.
I finished packing my box and envelope. I headed to the worker once more.
She reassured the placement of the address labels were correct. Then, I double-checked that the correct labels were on the intended packages.
I joked. “My in-laws might be a little confused if I send them baby wipes and a teething ring.”
She smiled. I finished my transaction and stopped to tell the man to have a nice day. He invited me to flip through his pictures.
He explained he recently turned 85 and his family threw him a surprise party. The man didn’t look a day over 50. He chuckled as he showed me the picture from his dollar dance. He exclaimed that his family pinned $358 to his shirt on his birthday. He repeated, “358 dollars!”
He flipped through the entire book. He told me about his grandchildren in Florida and his nieces in school. One is a dental hygienist assistant. He proudly pointed at his ball cap. The embroidered letters represented the school his niece attended. The man continued to beam with pride as he talked about each of his family members. He has a beautiful family and I told him that.
I asked the man if he was interested in the Inspirations book. He pointed at his digital watch and admitted he hadn’t read since high school. I shook his hand and thanked him for sharing his story with me.
Although I often choose to stay inside and avoid city traffic and detours, I’m thankful for these moments. These encounters show the gentler side of humanity.
Share a smile. Stay inspired.