Life Is In The Little Things We Do

I am not a person who goes to Starbucks very often.  That being said, the other day it was warm out and I decided to treat myself so I pulled into the drive thru of a local Starbucks for a mocha frappuccino.

In our busy world of fast food, there’s a routine that’s fairly consistent.  We pull up to speak our order to the person behind the screen.  Then we pull around to the window, pay for our order, then wait in line to pull to the next window to receive what we’ve ordered.

Easy.  Routine.  Expected.

So when I pulled up to order at the Starbucks screen I heard:

“Good afternoon.  Welcome to Starbucks.  How may I begin your order today?”

At first I was a bit astonished because I’m so used to the voice at the other end of the screen being a bit frazzled and curt.  Yet her voice was soothing, patient and happy.

“Good afternoon!  I’d like a medium (or whatever you call that size) mocha frappuccino please and that’s it.”

“Of course.  What a perfect treat for a sunny day!  Please pull around to the window.”

“Ok, thank you.”

I put my car into drive and moved to the window.  As I rolled up to the Starbucks’ window, the glass slid open and a young woman (probably in her early 20’s) leaned out and smiled at me.  She had blonde and purple hair with a floral top on.

“Hi,” she beamed at me with a smile.

“Hi,” I answered back, expecting that she would immediately tell me how much I owed for the order and we’d move on.  I mean, this is a drive thru and people are always in a hurry these days.

“Excuse me for a moment,” and she turned away to take the order from the next car in line, just as politely as she had taken mine.  Then she turned back to me.

“How are you?”

I stammered.  I mean, this wasn’t what I was expecting.  Was this a social call?

“I’m doing ok thank you.  How are you?”

“I’m doing great today  The sun is shining and all is well.”

“That’s terrific.  I like the way you’re thinking.  You’re right.  It is a beautiful day out.”

“Excuse me again,” she said as she took the next order.  I watched her speak with a smile  to the next person in line.  It struck me that she really liked her job.

She turned back to me and continued to chat.  I was still stunned that we were continuing to have this casual conversation and she still hadn’t told me how much I owed for my order.  She was completely relaxed even though there were cars behind me and the place was obviously busy.  I was holding the bills in my hand because I didn’t know how much the drink was.  I raised my hand to show her the money in hopes that she’d tell me how much I owed and I could pay for my order.

Then it struck me.  What’s up with me?  I wasn’t in a hurry and yet here I was, chomping at the bit (horse vocab intended) to get on with it.  To pay, to receive and to move out of the way so that the next car could pull up to get their order.  I was not really in a rush and yet, here I was acting like I was because I was so attuned to the fast food mentality of rushing through life.  Yet, here was someone who was completely at ease in a stressful situation and I was not.

She smiled at me again and continued to talk as if we were old friends.  Was I the only one aware that the minutes were ticking by?  We were both looking at each other and it was then that I realized that we were connecting as humans and not as mechanical robots.  She took one more order and then turned back to me.

“Your order comes to $,” she finally said, smiling even more.

I counted out the bills and handed them over to her.  She handed the change back to me still smiling.

“I’m sorry I was frazzled when I pulled up to the window.  I wasn’t expecting us to have a conversation.  It’s usually not done that way.”

“I know.  You did look a bit frazzled but look, now you’re more relaxed.”

Smiling a huge grin, I laughed as she handed me the drink.

“You’re right.  Thank you for making my day brighter.”

“You’re so welcome.  I’m glad we connected.  I hope you have a lovely day.  Enjoy your treat!”

I reached back into my wallet and handed her a tip.

“Thank you for your unique way of being.  This was really lovely.”

“You are so welcome.  You’re not the first person to be caught off guard when I talk with them.  I find it makes the job more fun to meet everyone and to connect with them, even if only for a few minutes.  I hope it makes someone else’s day better when they feel that I really see them and we connect.  You never know what’s going on with anyone, but I find that trying to brighten someone’s day makes all the difference.”

“Well, you certainly brightened mine.  Thank you for your kindness.”

We both smiled again and I waved to her as I pulled away, still aware of the line of cars behind me.  Yet, the funny thing was that none were beeping.  They seemed to all be patiently waiting their turns.  Perhaps it was because they knew that the girl behind the counter would be giving each of them her full attention for a few moments of connection.

As I drove away, sipping that delicious concoction, it tasted even better.  I opened the sunroof and let in the wind and sunshine.  I turned up the volume as the music enveloped my soul.

I silently thanked that purple-haired angel at Starbucks for her sweet reminder.

Connections make all the difference.

Shine On!

xo

 

 

 

 

Bumble Bee Encounter

Precious First Bumble Bee

It’s the end of April and spring has arrived, finally!  As I sat outside today, in the pale morning sun, two chubby bumble bees buzzed in the lawn nearby, seeming to enjoy the nectar in the grass.

While I wasn’t able to get a shot of both of them together, here is one of them.  What I loved was that as they went about their business, I was reminded of how inspirational they truly are.  At least I think so, because aerodynamically, there aren’t equipped to fly and yet, they do!  I love how they stop and smell the roses (quite literally and yes, silly pun intended) and yet, they also are very productive.

Quite literally, a perfect combination of work and play and isn’t that what life’s all about?

Of course, if you’ve been reading here for any length of time, you know how much I love the animals that I encounter.  I always feel as if they’ve stopped by to send me a special message.  I looked up bumble bee spirit animal message and smiled.

Here’s the lovely message that spoke to me!

What a perfect way to begin the Spring, don’t you think?

Doesn’t it get your heartlight revving?

Shine On!

xo

All Aboard Pink Express

I love roses ~ heck, I love all flowers if the truth be told!  In fact, I have repeatedly told my hubby to not bother with flowers at my funeral because I make sure that now, while I”m living, that I have fresh flowers in my home that I can enjoy whenever I want.  It’s true!  And no, just for the record, I’m not dying anytime soon ~ at least that’s my plan and I’m sticking to it!  But truly, my own personal opinion is that if you enjoy flowers, you should enjoy them now while you’re breathing, smelling their fragrant aroma and enjoying the beauty of their petals!  I don’t want to see a ton of flowers at my funeral when I can’t see them except from Heaven (again, this is said in hope that I’m going there eventually as well! ) 🙂

But today, I’m presenting you with a bouquet of flowers ~ pink roses in honor of your warrior spirit in becoming a survivor.

Ugh, I’m sorry, but I dislike the word survivor ~ and the word warrior doesn’t do it for me either.  I like to think of myself as having endured breast cancer for to me, the word endure means that I didn’t like it, but I put up with it and I’m now so over it as well!  What do you think?

Diagnosed at age 34, I was not prepared to be a young mom who lost both of her breasts, although honestly, no matter what your age is, I don’t think any of us are prepared for the diagnosis of any disease, are we?  I specifically remember the breast surgeon when she was doing my needle biopsy which was December 26th, telling me, “I will be so surprised if this mass is breast cancer.  Don’t worry,” which I know she meant to be reassuring to me because I was squirming with the many needles that she’d given me.

So when her nurse called on New Year’s Eve at 11am asking for me to come in at 1pm and to bring my husband, I knew ~ this wasn’t going to be good news.  I remember hanging up the phone, my hands shaking uncontrollably and telling my husband.  I remember he bundled up our boys who were 1 and 3 yrs old off to his parents’ house ~ who cancelled their party that night and instead hosted our little family of 4 after the appointment for which I will always be grateful.

I can still see myself in her office, hubby at my side, hearing her tell us what she thought my future held:  lumpectomy, ACT chemo (the kind you lose your hair with), radiation and it was then that I heard that lonesome train whistle blow ~ Wooooo Woooooo ~ and the Pink Express roared into the station of my life!

Now the Daily Prompt today, “You have the choice to erase one incident from your past, as though it never happened. What would you erase and why?” and I guess my answer would be, “No, I wouldn’t erase getting diagnosed with breast cancer.”

You see, breast cancer changed me:  physically, mentally, emotionally and it changed my family, my friends and my loved ones.  It stamped its mark on my life in such an indelible way that I can’t go back now to that girl I was beforehand and I don’t want to believe it or not.  I’m not saying that I liked enduring cancer, oh no!  That’s not the point at all!  But breast cancer made me grow spiritually, mentally, physically, emotionally ~ it changed the way I look at life and things and people and myself.  Instead of rushing about, I now take a moment to stop and smell those roses, smile at that stranger, reach out to touch someone else without fear of being different.  I found my healing touch which unless you’ve suffered, you truly can’t tap into that inner dark abyss and linger too long.  It is perhaps because we’ve suffered that we can more easily connect with others through empathy, understanding and kindness.  It is our willingness to dig deep into our souls to allow for the sunshine to spring forth into our daily lives.  It is the midnight, all alone in the darkness insomnia which allows us to deepen our human experience.  It is facing our mortality which reminds us to dance in the rain, look up at the sky and to be grateful for each precious moment we can treasure in our lives.  It is knowing that forgiveness is key and allowing the soul to rejoice in the littlest triumphs.  Breast cancer gave me the courage to speak up, to ask for what I needed and to receive it.

I wish I hadn’t endured all that I have, but if it is what I had to do in order to have the level of human understanding that I do now so that I can help others, well, then it was suffering well worth the price.

So I’m off to buy myself some flowers ~ you should too!

Don’t forget to stop and smell the roses!

Shine On!

xo

Daily Prompt: Erasure You have the choice to erase one incident from your past, as though it never happened. What would you erase and why? http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/03/12/daily-prompt-erasure/