Small Things with Great Love

Spreading kindness in our own little way

If conversation is an artform, the man I saw at the grocery store yesterday must be Michelangelo. He stopped to chat with every stranger he passed. Based on how long he must have been there, I imagine the ice cream in his cart was beginning to melt. Not that he would worry about things like that. He didn’t strike me as much of a complainer. Some folks view their cup as half empty. Others view life with a “half-full” mentality. But this guy’s cup was overflowing with good vibes.

Of course, times haven’t always been easy for him. His cancer came back again. “It will take more than that to stop me,” he said to a lady with a toddler in her cart. “I’ll beat it again without skipping a beat,” he proudly boasted. I overheard this conversation while reaching for some sour cream in the cooler. I assumed they were old neighbors or former coworkers catching up, but I soon realized he was just the kind of guy who had never met a stranger.

Mid-conversation, he turned his head toward a man near the meat section and yelled, “Semper Fi! Nice ink, brother.” Without warning, he walked away from the woman with the toddler, leaving her with social whiplash. One second, she was asking about his cancer treatment, and suddenly, she was watching him run his fingers along a Marine-themed tattoo of a total stranger.

The former Marine obliged with a smile, rolling up his shirt sleeve and naming off the years he was in the military. “Thanks for your service,” said the extroverted man. I wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation, but I didn’t need any groceries in that area, so I began making my way to the checkout line. I glanced over my shoulder one last time and noticed the Marine was smiling from ear to ear. So was his wife. And that’s when I noticed that I, too, had a grin on my face.

The cancer survivor was a social butterfly in full flight. He fluttered around the grocery store, stopping to hear people’s stories and asking what made them tick. For many of us, going to the store is considered an errand, a chore, something to simply get done so we can do other things we deem more enjoyable. But to this man, grocery shopping was an adventure - a chance to converse with people on a human level. To look them in the eye and engage in meaningful dialogue.

As I pushed my cart out the exit doors, I caught one last glimpse of the man. He had cornered a mother and teenage son over near the produce section. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it must have been funny. The mom laughed, and the teenager removed his headphones to partake in the banter. I shook my head and smiled. After all, I had gone into the store looking for ingredients to make taco salad. Instead, I found inspiration.

Mother Teresa is credited with saying, “We cannot all do great things. But we can all do small things with great love.” The art of conversation is clearly how this man leaves a positive stamp on this world. Others create beauty in the form of music or painting. And some people show love by dedicating their time and energy to good causes. We’re all in this boat together… eight billion souls paddling toward a future we hope is filled with joy, laughter, and safety. We all must pull our weight. We must strive to leave this world in better shape than when we arrived. No act is too small. And no obstacle is too big to overcome… as long as we stay connected to one another, stopping long enough to see people for who they are and then striving to find a common ground with them.

It requires a little more eye contact and a little less screen time. More patience and less rushing around. More empathy and less indifference. If the man at the grocery store can do it, so can we.