Tonight I watched the movie, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. It was a slow movie and I nearly gave up on watching it but I'm so glad I stuck with it. It did have a slow moving pace and not a lighthearted funny movie but a movie that moved me and left me with thoughts about improving, doing better...just be more real. Taking more time to have real face to face encounters. The story unfolded at a pace we could enjoy each step along the path.
The movie was about this boy whose father died in one of the towers on 9/11. The boy found a key in his dad's closet that led him on a search to find what it would open. The boy meets 427 people and plans to spend only six minutes with each person on his search but he says each person wanted to talk and it took a lot longer for each stop on the search. As the credits rolled, I was left thinking that we all have stories. We may think our stories aren't interesting to others but they're our stories. How different would we be, our days be, our small part of the world be if we took time to have real face to face time? If we took time to really listen to someone as they share, "their story"?
Each job I've had has been a job where people are involved and around all the time. I've worked at an ice cream shack, as a cashier, a dressing room attendant, a bank teller, a daycare/preschool teacher.... my favorite job was being a waitress. (Being a mom is my favorite job, waiting tables was my favorite monetary/paying job) This job was my second job to help earn money faster for college. I loved that I met different people every day, I loved that as I took parents' orders I could help distract the younger kids by making faces or drawing doodles on their place mats. In short my favorite job was being out there, having face to face time and making connections with people. On occasion I'd have one of my "regulars" come sit in my section and I'd get the chance to ask and really listen to their story. I waited tables for only 6 months and it was 22 years ago but sometimes I still think of the blind man I served. As I put his plate down, I explained where things were on his plate and how grateful he was that I noticed he was blind without making an issue of it. The hostess seats customers and on busy evenings the waitress may not notice anything other than a new customer is at one of their tables. As I served him his meal I told him where his food was on his plate, "Your meatloaf is a 2 o'clock, mashed potatoes are at 9...", or the sweet, lonely widower that would come at 4:30 sharp every day and would ask for his favorite waitresses, in order, until one of us were there. His happy compliments and jokes always made us feel not so gross in our ugly, brown, polyester uniform and white nursing shoes. These people touched my life in a way they didn't even realize. They touched my life because I slowed down and looked up.
The movie I watched was a great reminder to look up from our phones,computers, Ipads, etc. and take a minute to slow down and really connect with people. When we say, "Hi. How are you?" stop and listen to their response. Chat with the cashier at the grocery store. Some of us spend a bit more time with the cashier each week but we all get a couple minutes with them. :) Slow down and look up! Don't be in such a hurry that we don't see the interesting people around with great stories to share. We all have stories. We can learn so much by listening to others' stories. We can have a richer life by hearing others' stories.
So stop reading this (just for today) and go pay attention to the real people around you. Really try to SEE the people you see every day. It adds happiness to our lives and who doesn't want to be happy?
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