Connecting with Others--a Revision

 Last week I wrote a post about connecting with others.  I used names in it and my dear husband advised against that.  He was right and I deleted the post.  But I have had two incidents since then--or more--that made me aware of our lack of connectedness in this time of pandemic isolation and how hard it is on everyone.  And how it may encourage behaviors that are unusual.  And how much we appreciate the contacts we do have.

Last week we went to stores twice--the Plainsboro Dollar Tree the morning after we were no longer trapped in our garage due to a mound of snow and McCaffrey's, our local grocery store on our regular Saturday morning trip.  

Both times a clerk came in closer to me and whispered in my ear a story about another customer.  It struck me that these clerks were eager for a bit of connectedness and I was certainly receptive to it.

I told the Dollar Tree clerk how happy I was to be in her store on the day after the storm and she pulled me aside to say someone had been in the store in shorts earlier that morning.  I was appropriately aghast and said something like "You meet all kinds of people."

It was at the service desk at McCaffrey's after I told the clerk how pleased I was to get stamps from her and not have to go to the post office, she whispered to me, "See that lady in line?  She tells everyone else to go ahead of her because she is waiting for her husband.  But....her husband never comes."   I didn't look directly at the waiting woman but I have been thinking about this story ever since.  At first, I just had to chuckle.  But then I was thinking how poignant the story is.  Maybe that woman was doing her good deed for the day by letting others go ahead of her.  Maybe she just wanted to enjoy seeing other people around her.  And maybe she was wishing there was a husband to join her.  I didn't tell the clerk that my husband was waiting for me in the parking lot but I was glad he was doing just that!  

In both cases, somehow I elicited unexpected conversation--and I was glad for it.  The earlier post that I deleted was about the joy of my interaction with my gynocologist--who is a lovely woman and thanked me for asking about her college aged sons.  And who told me a very moving story about one of her assistants.  

This morning I participated in a women's Bible study with a group from my church in South Bend.  I am 30 years older than the others and I live 700 miles away from them but I am so happy to be a part of their lives in this way--to hear their concerns.  It enriches my life to think of others and to know how to pray for others. 

And yesterday our dear Jeff who had President's Day off from work brought us pizza and cupcakes to celebrate Jim's 75th birthday.  We ate in the dining room--six feet apart and it was so good to see him and chat with him.  I posted a photo on Facebook and was happy to get many "likes" and  to share others' congratulations with Jim.  Laura called and Dan texted.  Jim asked if I had reminded them and I was able to say that I had not done so.  

Tonight we begin a Lenten small group with others from our Nassau Presbyterian Church here in Princeton.  We were in a group with four of the others a year ago so meeting them on Zoom won't be totally new and awkward.    We look forward to meeting another person or two or three.  

But it is a strange world when connecting with others seems worthy of a blog post!