My last blog I talked about a guy I ran into at QT. I want to share another story that has a lot more meaning to me. It played out over three different visits.
I should start by saying I work for the Dept. of Commerce. Our mission is to help people get the skills they need to get a job or a better job. Resumes, mock interviews, college courses, certifications, we have a great deal of resources. So… keep that in mind.
Day 1- I’m walking into QT and a woman sitting in front of the store asks me for money for laundry and food. I tell her I need to get change. I don’t usually give money in those situations. I bought her a hot dog and a bottle of water. When I handed them to her she got mad, and said she just wanted the money.
I left feeling lousy about the universe.
Day 2- I’m leaving QT, and someone hollers at me. I think, great, here we go again. The man said he recognized me, even in my mask. He said I had helped him a year ago put a resume together and that it was so good he got a job three days later. This made me feel good. We don’t get a lot of follow up, so it was nice to hear his success story. We chatted for a minute and I thanked him and gave him a fist bump.
I left feeling like the universe had realigned and everything was better.
Day 3- I’m in line at the same QT. The client from Day 2 was in front of me and we chatted for a moment. He bought my diet Mt. Dew. I told him I appreciated that, and then I gave him a rundown of the story from Day 1. I said, “You changed my whole day.” His response, “You changed my whole life.”
I’m not writing this to brag, but he reminded me why my co-workers and I do what we do.
Wow! That is a moment!