Jane said she was confused by that and asked her son to explain more. He explained to her that when you ask someone about their life, they will respond (usually). And even if what they say is a lie, and they really aren’t “fine” or “good”, they’re responding. Which means that they are alive. 

Going off of that, she told me about her uncle that was stricken with all sorts of illness when she was in her teens. She would ask him how he was and he would respond with, “up, up!” Being her courageous 17 year old self she would say to her uncle “Uncle, I know you are not feeling ‘up, up’, you are lying!” He told her once again that he was feeling, “up, up”, and that he was being honest in telling her that. She continued to deny her uncle’s response when he explained to her that yea, at face value, he probably wasn’t “up, up”. His body wasn’t at its best; things in his life weren’t in accordance with how he thought they would be. But in that moment that she cared enough to ask him how he was, he was “up, up”, even if it was only for that moment. She learned a little bit more about how her uncle could respond in this way when she got older and suffered through (and survived) cancer, but also now that she is inflicted with Fibromyalgia (which is the disease the organization I work for is centered on, how about that?).  

She then went on to tell me that at the place she worked at the end of the year they receive job evaluations. Her only comments from her superiors were, “keep smiling; it makes work better for everyone here”. She was stunned to hear this and wasn’t aware that it made that much of an influence.

This all comes full circle to what Jane ended up telling me as she left out the door. She said to me:

Then she walked out the door and not gonna lie, my heart was pretty full after having this conversation. Sometimes I’m hesitant towards talking to people I don’t know—an awful flaw of mine. But I learned a few things from talking to Jane and I’m so happy I chose to open my mouth.

1. By simply talking and asking someone else about their lives, you are giving them life. And that’s kind of a big deal.

2. Never underestimate the power that a simple compliment or smile may have on someone else.

3. Fear causes us to miss out on great lessons that can be learned.

This woman was literally an answer to my prayers. Work today had been a bit on the slow side and I was having a hard time feeling like what I was doing was of any benefit to the organization I work for. It’s amazing how God places people in your life right when you need them. I found it funny how she left saying that I had “helped her day” when I was sitting there amazed at how much she had improved not only my day, but my heart as well. Happy Wednesday everyone! & always remember, to KEEP SMILING.

-meg.