#53: A Wise Moment

A fellow SparkPeople member posted this quote today:

A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds -- Francis Bacon.

When I read it I was convinced I must have been wise for a short while this afternoon when I stopped at the grocery store. I'm usually more outgoing with people when it's my choice than when I feel forced into gestures of friendship. And so it was today. While I shopped I said hi to several employees and told them what a good job they were doing. It never hurts us to do this and makes people feel appreciated.

Then I turned down an aisle and encountered my wise moment. Another shopper and I began talking about our pets when we saw the cat and dog food in each other's cart. Like me he also had taken in strays when he could not find their owner.

After we chatted for several minutes, we had to get on with our shopping and reluctantly said our goodbyes and nice talking with yous. Then he surprised me as I began to move on. "You know," he said, "not everyone is like we are. Many people wouldn't have bothered with these pets. But you probably saved the lives of five animals by taking them in. Bless you for that. Have a great afternoon." Surprised, I thanked him and then he walked away.

I mentioned how I try to encourage employees by telling them that what they do is appreciated. But here a stranger was telling me the same thing because we both were animal lovers. To be thanked by a stranger in the middle of a grocery store, a man I simply happened to make an effort to say hello to, had me walking on clouds as I left. I suppose for that encounter, as Mr. Bacon said, I created an opportunity, an opportunity to spend time with another person who shares the same compassion toward strays as I do.

As a result, my spirit was uplifted and my heart filled with a sense of camaraderie. I am certain that the positive feeling I now have, and a stranger's kind words, will be recalled every time I look into the eyes of Brownie, Kitty and Little Thang, my three cats, and Baby the Boxer and Thumper the Shepard, the two dogs.

Because they all get along well with each other is, I believe, a testament to their knowledge that they have found a safe harbor where someone cares for them and feeds them and brushes and plays with them.

In turn, today I found a safe harbor where a stranger cared about me and what I have done with these homeless pets. That may have been an isolated wise moment for me at the grocery store, but it is one I will not soon forget.

And now I pass along what was unexpectedly offered to me today: Bless all of you for your support and encouragement. You may never know how much it means. Have a great weekend.