OPINION SHAPER: Chance meetings inspire important life lessons
JANUARY 04, 2011 6:00 AM • BY SHARON DUNSKI VERMONT
I love meeting people in random places and learning about them. I have found, in fact, that when I actually talk to the strangers in line behind me at the grocery or in front of me in an elevator, I usually leave feeling quite uplifted.
More importantly, I have often gleaned significant life lessons from seemingly unimportant strangers whom I could have easily ignored.
A nameless woman who moved in and out of my life in a matter of moments taught me long ago about appreciation. An arbitrary little girl with the face of an angel once reminded me of the importance of spending time with my daughters. And I'll never forget the older gentleman whose determination in life sent a little spark of his wonderful qualities right into my heart.
It's often been those whose names and addresses I'll never know who have blessed me the most with inspiring lessons that I'll keep with me forever.
Recently, I was in an elevator, headed out the door after my daughter Hannah's orthodontist appointment, when I noticed an older gentleman rustling through his wallet in search of something.
I wondered what he was looking for; money for a cab? His daughter's phone number? He was searching so intently that I actually worried he needed assistance.
Yet, before I could open my mouth to speak to him, the man's face lit up with a smile and he handed something to my daughter.
"It's okay," I assured her. "You can take it."
Hesitantly, Hannah held out her hand and took a piece of greenish paper from the gentleman. She looked a bit confused, but relaxed when I started laughing.
My daughter looked down and saw that, in her hand, she was holding a one million dollar bill!
"Look how funny that is!" I announced to those around us. "Don't you wish it was real?"
I looked at my daughter with a smile.
"Yeah!" she agreed, now comfortable with the situation. "Too bad we can't spend it!"
"Where did you get that?" I asked our kind, new friend.
"I make them," he replied, enthusiastically. "And when I run out, I just make more."
With that, he took out another bill and handed it to me.
As Hannah and I left the elevator and walked out of the building towards our car, we were deep in conversation about the funny money we'd just received.
It appeared this regular, ordinary, grandfatherly guy, someone whom we could have simply passed without noticing, did his part to make the world a better place by giving random strangers the gift of laughter and a smile.
By simply handing his crazy million dollars to my daughter and me, this man (Whose name, ironically, was "Bill") actually brightened our day.
Little did he know that Hannah and I had been feeling a bit stressed. Yet, with his silly money, he'd relieved our discomfort and actually made us feel a whole lot better.
They often say that it's the little things in life which truly matter. And our encounter with Bill on that seemingly ordinary afternoon was total proof that this age old saying is true.
Bill probably didn't think he did much for us that day. After all, he simply gave us a fake piece of money that was, for all intents and purposes, worthless.
Yet, that clever currency made my daughter and me laugh, smile, relax, and actually think about the importance of our daily interactions with others. Bill's funny money was so much more than just a silly piece of paper.
Our world needs more people like Bill; people willing to spread a bit of laughter and joy throughout the often serious and difficult times. I just hope this man, someone who'd passed into our life as quickly as he'd passed out of it, realized just how much we appreciated his selfless act of kindness.
Sharon Dunski Vermont is a full-time wife and mother and part-time pediatrician. She has been a free-lance writer for about five years and recently had a story, "Tuesdays with Dad," published in "Chicken Soup for the Soul: Thanks, Dad."