“Thank you! You have made my day!”
As I waited for my turn in the post office lobby, only three allowed in the lobby and please stand on the yellow footprints to appropriately social distance, the clerk finished up her transaction with the state patrol officer.
As I’d watched the two engage for three to four minutes it popped into my head to provide some words of encouragement to this guy. Maybe in these challenging days for all law enforcement officers he might need to hear something positive. Then, I thought, “No, why would he want to hear anything from some guy standing in line at the post office? Don’t say anything.”
I could tell they were about done and the two little guys, one on each shoulder, began to spar.
“C’mon, Dave! Say something to him!”
“No, don’t. You’ll embarrass yourself. You’re just some stranger. What you say won’t mean anything to him.”
Time was running short as he gathered his things off the counter and he turned to leave. His path would take him directly past me inside the imaginary social distancing barrier!
The speak-up shoulder guy won.
“Thank you, sir, for your work in law enforcement,” I said. “You are much needed and appreciated!”
He turned and faced me and said, “You have no idea how much I needed to hear that today. Thank you! You’ve made my day.”
I could only see his eyes as he was wearing the obligatory face mask. Someone once said the eyes are the window to the soul. My reading of his eyes may be wrong as we exchanged looks for just a few seconds but he looked tired. He looked beaten down and, apparently, these few simple words gave him a boost for the day.
Do you know of anyone needing some words of encouragement today? Listen to the little guy on your shoulder that tells you to encourage someone. Maybe it’s in person, or an email, a text, or a phone call. It doesn’t take long. My exchange with this officer was less than a minute.
You do have the right to remain silent but I challenge and encourage you to speak up!
Have a STRONG and COURAGEOUS day!
Looking for a speaker for an upcoming event? I’d love to be that guy. You can reach me at dave@cultivatecourage.com or 952-200-7499.
You can now buy the book “Cultivate Courage” on Amazon! https://amzn.to/2N2PBVJ
