Tuesday, August 29, 2023
Recipient: George @ Whole Foods, Wash Park
"Unconditional love is in all of us." ~ George
My experience of George is exactly what Gillian Sandstrom described in this NPR article (Why a stranger's hello can do more than just brighten your day) when she would pass a particular hot dog stand:
"I never bought a hot dog, but every time I walked past, I would smile and wave at her and she'd smile and wave at me...She made me feel happy," she says. "I felt better after seeing her and worse if she wasn't there."
George is just one of those people. I'd see him in the produce department of my local Whole Foods -- nice smile, bright yet calm energy -- and it would give me a little lift.
On this particular Tuesday, I saw George, felt that small surge of gladness, and went in search of berries. Then I remembered that article. Instead of letting the moment pass and walking out the door I wrote the award and handed it to him. He was very sweet. He said he was honored to receive the award. He mentioned that he's a student of self-knowledge, and consciously works on exuding love and acceptance.
(Aside: He said a bunch of other cool things I thought would be wonderful to add to this post. I went back to gather the information. This was a terrible idea and also a reminder to myself why I usually refrain from further digging. I am a *very, very slow* note-taker and he is a very, very busy guy. I tried to jog his memory of what he had originally said and I took too long and he finally said he didn't want to get in trouble for chatting and not finishing his work. Message received, and lesson re-learned.)
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