Every now and then, you receive a glimmer of why and how people can be inherently good.
Out walking our beagle Bailey for her mid-afternoon stroll recently when a red "Mommy van" comes down the street and stops next to us. I call it that because, well, that's what we've always called those types of transport, with no denigration meant to Moms or anyone else.
I stop, and she rolls down her passenger window. Lady probably in her 30s or early 40s.
"I've always seen you walking with two dogs for so long, and now that I see you only have one, I'm afraid to ask if something happened".
I explained to her that yes, our wonderful Norwegian Elkhound boy Magnus passed away 6 weeks ago to the day.
"I'm so sorry to hear that. Our dog passed on January 9th, (which was one day prior to Magnus' passing), and I know how hard it is to lose one. I'm really very sorry to hear that".
Worth noting we had never met.
She just wanted to stop and say something kind.
She asked about how Bailey was doing, and even how I was doing. Remember, we had never met before this. Her concern was honest and heartfelt.
We talked for a few minutes more, she asked what happened and I told her. The sorrow on her face was genuine. Then, before we parted, she said something to
me that struck.
"We're all a community here and we get to know so many people just walking their dogs. I feel as if we know each other, and I was just heartbroken to see you with only the one dog".
Since Magnus passed, I've been stopped by a number of people who all wanted to know why I was only walking one dog. They were genuinely concerned and kind. Most of them are people we've always seen on our walks. Some of them were people who just said they got a smile every time seeing the 3 of us walking.
Damn, I didn't even get her name.
It is so true that as you get older, the little things become not only more evident, but more important. They are the messages we're receiving from the world around us that not everything is hateful. Not everyone is angry. There are just good people out here.
Thankfully, sometimes, they just make themselves known.
I brought Bailey home, took off her collar, knelt down and gave her yet another big hug. We've been doing that a lot more often in the past 6 weeks. It was then I realized again how lucky I am to have such wonder in my life, and how fortunate I am to be in a community where so many people actually, honestly, really care.
That lady didn't have to stop her car. She didn't have to roll down her window and ask. She didn't have to say such nice words. But she did. That's the moral of the
story.
In life, and in business, we can always manage to stop and be kind. Think on what it says about us in the moment.
Think of what a bit of simple communication can do to change the world.
Rock On, True Believers.
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