Conversations From The Heart

The smell of provolone cheese fills my nostrils as I stare aimlessly at the selection of deli meats. I try to decide which sandwiches to order for my lunch date with my grandma, but the longer I stare at the assortment of cold cuts, the more my mind wanders. The doubt and stress that normally stay locked in the back of my thoughts has caught up to me. I question my current job situation, my purpose, and the trajectory of my life.

From the time I wrote my first story in second grade, I have always dreamt of being a writer. Writing has been my source of joy and comfort; my way of understanding the world. Determined to make that dream a reality, I applied for as many writing jobs as possible. However, as a 2020 college graduate, landing a job during the pandemic was both challenging and defeating.

I spent hours working on applications, completing writing samples, and taking editing exams only to get an email a few days later stating that the position I had applied for was closed due to the pandemic. For the positions that remained open after I applied, I received responses explaining how the position was demoted from a paid role to an unpaid role due to the unprecedented circumstances. How am I expected to live off of an unpaid job?

These are my thoughts as I continue to stare at the turkey, unsure of which kind to choose. Plain or spicy?

“The spicy turkey is my favorite,” a gentle voice says from behind.

I turn around to find a petite old woman smiling up at me. I smile back, embarrassed by my delay in ordering.

“When my son comes to visit, I always make sure to get some. He loves the spicy turkey too,” she continues.

I thank her and apologize for making her wait. As we order our sandwiches, we start talking about our everyday lives. She tells me about how she misses her son and wishes he didn’t live across the country. I explain how I just graduated and feel lost as I try to make ends meet as a writer.

Her eyes light up. “Oh, writing. How wonderful! My son is a writer. It was so hard for him too in the beginning. Listen dear, don’t give up on your dream. It’s an unconventional path but that’s what makes it so courageous.”

I smile, momentarily taken aback by the kindness of her words and the serendipitous timing of them. I watch as she pays for her sandwich and starts to walk out of the store.

“It was really nice meeting you,” she says as she turns back. “You were my angel today.”

I’m stunned. I was her angel? If anything, she had been mine. She had given me the encouragement I needed to face my day with a rejuvenated sense of purpose. She had reassured me to not give up on my dreams. She had squashed the doubt that had been lingering in the back of my mind.

Noticing the surprise on my face, she smiled one last time, “No one ever bothers to talk with me. But you have a kind heart. It radiates in how you smile at everyone around you.”

Sometimes it happens just like that. Life brings two strangers together, knowing that when their paths cross, they will unintentionally help each other in some small but meaningful way. When those two strangers walk their separate paths and continue on with their days, they step back into the world feeling a little more reassured, a little more hopeful, and a little more brave all from a single encounter.

That’s the beauty of kindness. It’s reciprocal in nature. A good deed doesn’t just impact one person. It impacts everyone involved.

What started as a simple conversation about deli meats transformed into a moment of kindness and encouragement. Oftentimes, people associate good deeds with actions. But words are equally powerful. They also have the potential to make a person’s day, change someone’s perspective, and ultimately inspire.