After buying groceries at the Food Coop tonight, I sat down at a table to eat my dinner of spinach artichoke lasagne and roasted zucchini. As I ate, I noticed that the young cashier who helped me left his station and sat down at a nearby table, obviously upset. He rubbed his temples and stared at the top of the table. His gaze moved to the floor where he was fixated for a few minutes. I wondered what was wrong. Was he going to be sick? Was he about to commit a crime?
I looked for a manager to send to him, but there was no one in sight. When the young man went back to his cash register, a coworker came over offering to share her chips and chat, totally oblivious to his condition. People walked past him or got their items checked out by him, but no one really looked at him. When his aisle was clear I went over and asked him if he was okay. He replied that he was distraught over a situation at home and that he couldn’t leave work to deal with it. He was trying not to think about it.
He thanked me for my concern. I said, “I AM concerned about you. I hope that you get to work it out soon.” After a few minutes I noticed that the color came back to his face and he even smiled at the next customer.
We live in challenging times when it might not be safe to reach out to someone who seems to be in trouble. There are other times when we need to look at each other, show our concern and express that we notice and care.
Excellent
Yes!! Well done, mom!
Thanks, Honey!
Is there another reason for us to be here? Thank you for sharing this story.
Well stated, Barbara!