You hop into the car and feel the blistering hot seat under you as you put the car into drive. You timed everything just right so you’d leave the house on time and head down the road. Listening to the tires on the dirt road and the pavement, you finally feel good that you managed to leave on time. Glancing at the gas gauge, you realize it would likely be best to get gas now so you stop at the nearest gas station, peak at the pump number and make your way inside only to run into someone you haven’t seen in 7 years— you forget any sense of hurry you had when you arrived.
Sound familiar? Maybe or maybe not. The truth is that most of us are in such a hurry we don’t stop to look around and likely “miss the moment”. Today I was stopped in my tracks. There just inside the door of the convenient store I was greeted by the prettiest smile of an old coworker from some of the most trying and difficult time of my life. I was transported back in time to when she and I both worked on the inpatient psychiatric unit. (I always thought maybe she didn’t like me because of the role I was in at the time of charge nurse, but I was wrong). She gave me the most heartwarming hug and we swapped small details about our lives. Her moments – this moment -is really a BIG deal. I would have and could have missed the moment if I had remained in the hurry I was prior to seeing her smile at me.
Honestly, I hadn’t realized the impact I had on her until all this time later. We swapped a few stories and I could instantly sense her growth and NOTHING made me happier in that moment. She’s doing well! Her children are doing well, and most of all, she seemed genuinely happy. She told me just before she left that she “loved me” and I believed her.
Today was a beautifully orchestrated moment to a previous time when I was able to make an impact on someone else’s life. All these years later, she still remembers how my presence made her feel as she complimented me on the way I took care of the patients. All these years later, I still remember how she made me feel and in more years to come I intend to slow down long enough to remember how they made me feel and to consider how I make others feel. Will you slow down today so you don’t miss the moment?
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