This afternoon, I had a work-related appointment in an old-fashioned business center with quite a grand staircase. As I was climbing the stairs, absorbed with how oddly regal the decor was for a Phoenix office, I heard a voice above me say, “Hello.”
I looked up to see a kind-looking man in his 70s or so smiling at me as he came down the stairs carrying a gorgeous white bouquet. He was dressed in jeans, a western-style striped shirt, and a classic straw cowboy hat.
Everything about this moment felt unusual - definitely not my normal setting and characters.
But I happily replied, “Hello!” and he asked, “How are you?”
“I’m just fine,” I said. “How are you?”
“I’m good.”
As we chatted this way, we were slowly nearing each other on the staircase. When we met on the large landing, he asked, “Can I tell you about this?” nodding his head towards the flowers.
“Of course!” I said.
He quickly seemed to change his mind, “Oh, I shouldn’t bother you.”
“No!” I said. “Please tell me about them.”
I could sense the importance of what he was about to share.
He went on, “My wife died six years ago today. And when I came into this office for a meeting, they gave me these flowers. These serious, tough, business people. Can you believe that?”
He was shaken that this had happened in real life. These business people had made this beautiful gesture.
I could feel my throat catch and my hand went straight to my heart. “Oh, isn’t that just wonderful?”
“Yes, I can’t believe it.”
I saw how deeply touched he was and asked him if I could give him a hug. He obliged and I noticed his eyes welling up a bit.
“And now you’re here!” He said. “Who are you?”
“I’m Tamara. And who are you?”
“I’m Steve. You know, this world seems so crazy sometimes, but then there’s people like that. And there’s this. Maybe people are all better than we think.”
I smiled and told him I agreed completely.
The whole exchange lasted maybe 2-3 minutes. And at the end of our short conversation, my new friend Steve said something about how maybe he shouldn’t have bothered me. But I told him he’d just made my day by reminding me of the love and humanity that’s always there - we just don’t always see it.
And so I pass this story along to you to hopefully make your day too. And to remind you that businesses are, after all, just a bunch of people.
A person at that business decided to buy Steve those flowers. And that person started a ripple of connection from him to me and now hopefully to you.
My wish is that we never underestimate the power that a small-yet-sincere gesture of love can have.
Yes, even from a business.