He did not know me, and I had never met him. But we shared the usual exchange.
“Cash, please. Twenties and tens.”
“Date of birth?”
The guy at the bank window hurried away to check my account and cash my check. I waited in the drive through, listened to “Hymn of Heaven” on Love-88.
Then the tray returned, and I looked up to thank this smiling guy I did not know. Evidently, in checking my account and my date of birth, he realized it was indeed my actual birthday.
The envelope returned my cash with a note: “Happy Birthday! I hope you have a good day and eat some good food!”
I smiled as he waved, cleared the lump in my throat, and drove toward my next errand. But I wondered, what are the seemingly small things we can do to share a nugget of hope each day?
- Make eye contact with the busy retail workers and ask how they’re doing. Compliment them on a job well-done.
- Give an extra tip when we eat out. Servers are struggling with inflation, too.
- Follow my son’s example. He writes a special ‘Thank you for your excellent service’ on the back of receipts. Ends the sentence with a smiley face.
- Send a greeting card to an elderly person. It only costs a little time and one stamp, but the encouragement on the reception is priceless.
- Refuse to engage in hateful social media posts. Instead, share something beautiful and positive.
- Give a thank you note to the pharmacy tech at the drive-through window. My daughter-in-love has experienced numerous hate-filled speeches from people picking up their meds, upset with the cost, or wondering why their insurance has not responded. It is NOT her fault. Surely, we can do better. Be better.
- Show kindness to the marginalized. Be creative here. Remember that Jesus only labeled the self-righteous religious leaders (vipers and snakes). He never excluded the marginalized, the people who were cast out of synagogues because they were the wrong gender or they suffered with leprosy. Can we not follow the example of Jesus in our everyday lives?
- Document and compliment any kindness shown to you. I plan to send a thank-you email to the manager of my bank. To let her know how thoughtful her employees have been. To encourage her as she trains new hires.
It only took a small Post-it note from a stranger on the other side of the window to lift my spirits.
Surely each of us can share a nugget of hope with someone each day. And hope multiplied might just make a difference in our world.
©2022 RJ Thesman – All Rights Reserved
Share some hope with a senior friend. Day by Day: Hope for Senior Wisdom is available on Amazon and Kindle.
Yesterday I mailed a letter in a tiny post office in rural Oklahoma. Asking the young male clerk if there was anything my wife and I might pray for him about, he opened wide the heart door of his very hurting life. Making my exit minutes later I said a hearty ‘thank you’ to God that I had responded (albeit slowly) to the nudge to offer the ‘prayer mention. Nuggets are rare and wonderful offerings in our day. Thanks for these you shared.
Thanks for the comment, Jerry. Your experience proves again how it just takes a simple question to offer hope.
I love this! Thank you for sharing. We need to make kindness the new pandemic.
Absolutely in agreement. Selah!