Lessons from a chatty angel with a shopping cart
The other day I encountered one of those people we hear stories about who can magically light up the whole room.
I was shopping at a local grocery store, nearly empty in the afternoon... An elderly lady next to me starts making funny comments about the veggies she's buying, and how good the new store is. Next thing you know, she and I are exchanging tips on tasty dishes to make with the items on the shelf in front of us.
As she's walking away, she turns around and hands me this cheesy little card (inside, there are Christian writings about how each of us is special to God):
Next, I see her giving a hug to the store employee.
Then I see her chatting up another customer.
And another...
She makes sure to acknowledge and exchange a few positive words with every single person she comes across. And you can just feel the whole space becoming more lively.
A few aisles later, I run into her again, and she tells me a bit of her life story: she's 82 years old (though looks a couple of decades younger), has survived two cancers and a near-fatal accident, and doesn't know why "God brought her back three times".
I think to myself: no wonder she's so freely sharing her light — someone who's beaten death three times probably savors every moment of life and doesn't care one bit what we might think of her telling strangers her life story in the middle of a grocery store!
In this little town, folks tend to look serious, mind their own business, and mostly avoid contact with strangers. As I look around the store that day, I see something very unusual: everyone is walking around with a big smile on their face and glancing at each other (like, hey, are you also amused at this fun lady?)
As I'm saying goodbye to the chatty woman for the third time 😅, I remark, "Look at you, spreading positivity and lighting up the whole store — maybe that's why God still needs you back here on Earth!" 😉
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Luckily, folks like her exist everywhere, and stories like this are not unique. But don't we all need an occasional reminder that it doesn't take much to make a difference in someone's day?
We don't have to be young, healthy, beautiful, accomplished, or have anything unique to say. We can just choose to look past the role (customer, cashier, stranger) and acknowledge the human in front of us, and we can say something positive to brighten their day. This will make them feel seen and give them a bit of that human connection that we all crave.
Turns out, it doesn’t take a lot to be a modern-day saint!
That’s one thing that I was reminded of while watching that angel in human form work her magic.
The other thing was: Memento mori. Awareness of the finite nature of our life and inevitability of death tends to turn our mind towards what really matters, while silly things we make a big deal out of (like being judged) lose their significance. In fact, thinking of death can be a powerful and motivating exercise!
If you knew you had only five years left on this Earth, would you go about your day differently? What would you spend your finite time and energy on? Would you jump into that passion project you’ve been delaying due to busyness — in a sloppy way, perfectionism be damned — because you MUST hurry up and get it out into the world while you’re still here?
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I'm sharing this simple story to honor the beautiful soul I met that day, whose name I don't even know. And if it inspires you to brighten someone else's day, or to focus more on what really matters and ignore the rest, the credit goes to her! 😉
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