He Saved Me from a Shower

A couple of days ago, I went with a few guys from the office to the building next door for lunch. There’s a little catering business in there and they’ve accommodated us by setting up a cafeteria-style line four days a week. On this particular day, we took the 3-minute hike over and enjoyed a nice lunch. Just as we prepared to leave, the bottom fell out. Now, for you Southerners, I’m sure you know that means: it was raining outdoors. And not a little wimpy Spring shower, but raining cats and dogs! (Another popular expression which may or may not be limited by these here Southern borders.)

There we were, staring through the glass door, having conversations such as:

“I think the sky’s lightening up; maybe it’ll stop soon.”

“What the….It’s only supposed to be a 30% chance of rain!”

“I can’t believe I left my umbrella at my desk!”

“I can’t believe I’m gonna be sitting at my desk the rest of the afternoon, cold and wet.”

“Dang. The closest Uber is 15 minutes away.” (This from the guy from San Diego)

“Really? North Carolina has Uber?”

FYI- In case you haven’t heard of Uber, this company boasts rides that are “better, faster, and cheaper than a taxi.” 

There we stood, forlorn, as the rain continued to pelt the pavement before us.

Apparently, the guy at the security desk took pity on us. He handed us a brand new umbrella, saying, “Here you go. Just bring it back the next time you come in.”

Simple. Straight-forward. Saving me, and my buddies, from a mid-day shower. (And one that was none too warm.) On the way back, San Diego said, “That would never happen in California. People here are so nice.” It made me feel good that one of my North Carolinians had represented our Southern hospitality so well. By now we were heading out the door, the sky really was lightening up a bit, and the security guard had returned to his desk.

Have you ever just wanted to turn around and hug somebody? In that moment, I felt just like that. And while I didn’t hug him, I thought, what can I do to brighten up this security guard’s day? The answer came as I was preparing to return the umbrella the following day. I stopped by the store, bought some fresh chocolate chip cookies, enough for him and his coworkers. It was a small price to pay to be saved from a rain shower.

The smile on his face was all it took to know I’d made his day. It warmed my heart.

My favorite Leo Buscaglia quote sums it up best: "Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around."

You have the power to turn a life around. Every day your choices can make or break another person’s day. A simple choice to extend a smile, a helping hand, or a prayer, might just make someone’s day and save them from a cold rain shower or something more. 

And somehow, I believe, when you do that, you’ll make God smile.

Jean