Free air hugs!
I’m at my local grocery store, refilling my water bottles. A woman walks up to refill hers, but my cart is totally blocking her from getting to the machine.
I see this and I joke with her about how I am dominating this part of the store. She laughs as I am being a bit playfully dramatic. And then she says something I didn’t expect.
“I gotta say, I really appreciate you being so kind and lighthearted with this. I’m going through a really difficult time right now and I really needed this.”
She looks teary as she says this. So I stop, turn to her and I ask if she needs a hug today. And then I realize she is holding a mask, and likely isn’t going to want any physical contact, but my offer stands.
She says she will take an air hug. So I do a super fun playful dramatic air hug… and she joins me in doing it right back… and she is laughing and smiling like a little kid as we do it.
And then I say, “And here’s another one!” and she lights up again and we do this silly little air hug dance again.
It is the best thing ever. She looked like she couldn’t decide whether to cry or laugh. Just before we parted ways, she was smiling brightly.
But my work here was not yet done.
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Leave them with a blessing
The last thing I said to her was that I would hold her in prayer. I would send her a flood of love and light.
Then I told her that a blessing is on its way and we must always have faith in that. As I walked away, I set my intention that a great blessing would come upon her soon.
It is so easy to be the reason that someone smiles. It is so easy to be the story that someone tells their family that night at dinner. It is so easy to be someone who does the right thing in the right moment.
And in this case, it only took me seconds to do it.
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Be unforgettable
I have always loved the idea of being someone who does things that seem transactional, but end up being unforgettable.
I will never know what that woman is going through, and I will never know how those two minutes with her today impacted the rest of her day. I will never know how that intention and blessing finds her, heals her, or changes her.
I simply show up in the world. I stay open to engaging with others, and when I can, I create moments that amuse, delight, or touch others.
I think that’s why so many odd and interesting things happen in my world, especially with total strangers.
…
A splash of sunlight
It is so easy to be the thing that changes someone’s day, their energy, and even their faith in humanity.
Smile. Make eye contact. Be fun, lighthearted, playful, or cute. Give a great compliment. Exude warmth when you look at others. Stay curious. Find beauty and wonder and amusement in the world around you.
People have become too hardened, stoic, and distant. Those warm, fun, playful transactional moments with a total stranger you will never see again can be like a sudden splash of sunlight in a rather dim world.
You can be that splash of sunlight.
Even when you don’t feel like it. Because when you create that splash of sunlight for someone else, a bit of it gets on you too. ❤
🙋🏻♀️ I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments — chime in!
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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From The Good Men Project on Medium
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Photo credit: Courtney Cook on Unsplash
