Being Happy for a Stranger

The grocery clerk was swiping my last few items. A man dressed in a beautiful French blue shirt with white collar and cuffs, probably in his late forties, arrived behind me, rather breathless, and plopped a package of pork chops on the conveyor belt.

“Hello!” he said, as if he knew me. “I just worked today, the first day in six months!”

I must have given him a look that told him to keep going, because he told me all about his new job, in tech sales, and how he got it through his Linked In profile, from a stranger, and he didn’t know a soul at this new company, he could hardly believe his luck.

“I’ve been praying and praying. You know you only pray this hard when you’re in trouble. I should pray this hard every day, grateful. I should thank God for my kids.”

I said, “You have kids?” (Yes, I’m really that brilliant with small talk.)

“I’m divorced, but yeah, I have kids, three of them, in college.”

We chatted a bit more, and I wished him the best of luck in his new position. I wanted to tell you about it, so you could be happy for him too, and send up a little prayer of gratitude. One person out there has a new job! TBTG!


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