Yesterday while checking out at Stop & Shop I decided to wait in line for a real live person, rather than the self-service lines I've become accustomed to. The woman was older, and looked particularly uphappy to be there. I set myself up to become frustrated by her lack of customer service, when something happened. A guy who was presumably the manager on shift was preparing to leave by screaming goodbye to various workers around us. He looked right past her to say goodbye to someone in the aisles, and as I looked at this woman she said something to the affect of "sure don't say goodbye to me," under her breath. And then I saw the tear. The pain on this woman's face took me by surprise. She stood there looking at him walking around and finally walk out the door, just waiting for him to acknowledge her. For a moment, I wasn't sure what she was going to do. I wasn't even focused on the fact that she had stopped ringing me up - my heart ached for her. She looked like I felt but there was something so inherently sad in this woman's face that in turn made me feel so sad for her. I immediately wanted to give her a hug and let her know she was appreciated. But I didn't. Because where are the lines in a situation like this?

He walked out the door and she turned around, wiped a tear from her face, finished ringing me up in silence, and went right on to the next person. Going through the motions when everything in her body was just tired and sad. And I still feel so sad for her. I wish I would have done something besides just watching this happen and walking away. Like everyone else has done to her.

Why do we let other people affect our happiness to such a large extent? What is it about love and acknowledgement that rules our emotions? How can a stranger make you feel so sad, or so angry, that you can lose yourself in a situation with someone you don't even know? And when we lose that acknowledgement from people we do know and love, why do we think that world will stop turning? That our happiness depends on others? There's something deeply wrong with this way of thinking and I'm not sure how to grasp it.

But I do know that when I leave the office today I will say goodbye to everyone, no matter who they are or how I feel about them. Because they are here, and because everyone deserves to be acknowledge and appreciated. We can never fully know what someone is going through in their lives, but the most we can do is believe that everyone is doing the best they can from where they are, and they deserve to be recognized.


"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind." — Kurt Vonnegut