One Second Friends

Sometimes we plan to reach out to others in volunteer work, in deliberately speaking with the people who help us in everyday interactions, or with friends and family.  How about with strangers who happen to be standing next to you in line, on the same shopping aisle, or passing on a trail?  I don’t think too much about these interactions when they happen – I just have them.

Yesterday I was in Lowes Home Improvement with my kids and I had firewood and a number of painting materials in the cart as well as a snow shovel and two sleds.  Last year my son broke our sled and I have been meaning to replace it as well as pick up a shovel.  It doesn’t snow a lot where I live, but we typically get one or two downfalls that keep the kids out of school for a few days and give us enough white fluff to enjoy the hills in our neighborhood.

A woman standing behind us in line looked a little excited and asked if I knew something she didn’t know.  I paused for a second thinking about all the things I may know and could share with her.  After the fleeting thoughts there and not responding I realized she was referring to the winter weather items in our cart and said, “Oh! No… picking them up for later.  You know what, because I’m buying them maybe it won’t snow at all this season.  I’m really wishing I had something magical to share with you since you looked excited …let me think – maybe I can make up something.”  I don’t think she was expecting that last bit.  She laughed and said, “It’s ok.  I thought you may have seen something on the news that I missed.”  I finished our transaction at the register and said, “Perhaps we’ll see a little snow soon!  Have a good day.”

As we walked away my daughter said, “There goes Mom, always making one second friends.  You have so many one second friends, Mom.”

This made me smile.  I don’t typically think of speaking with someone I don’t yet know as holding much value beyond those few words, and maybe this particular interaction was not that but it did coin a phrase I won’t be forgetting.  Yesterday, my daughter helped me to extend my understanding as well as connect to past events…. anyone could be a one second friend and who is to say what impact our few words may have.

I’ve certainly had a ‘one second friend’ say important things to me before…and on multiple occasions. Years ago, there was an older gentleman who told me to ‘be happy with what you have’ and I still count him as delivering a very important message to me that I needed to hear in that precise moment.

Be Open.  You could be an important moment for another person as they could be for you!