Let me share a story that I recently heard. Gloria was in the grocery store line and had six cans of beans in her cart. She put her six cans on the conveyor belt. Suddenly, the cashier stopped her. He said, there is a limit on the beans. You can only buy four cans of beans, so you have to put two of them back. The woman didn’t know that there was a limit of only four cans per person in effect. She had missed the sign. Her focus was on the ingredients she needed to buy to make her grandmother’s soup recipe. She had planned to make the soup for a family friend with a large family who was dealing with a lot right now due to Covid.
She looked up at him in surprise. She shared the story of what she needed the beans for hoping it might sway him, but he didn’t budge. He really meant it! He was only going to let her have four cans. She didn’t want to take anything away from others, but she needed all of these to make enough soup. Just then a couple behind her spoke up and said we will buy her the other two cans. Other people who heard the story asked what they could donate to help out this family. Before she knew it, she soon had a full cart of groceries that she could bring to this family. All of these people could have done nothing, but instead they stepped up and made a difference for this woman and the family she was helping.
How can you positively influence someone else?
I believe you make a choice each morning of how you show up in the world. You could be the one that offers to help people when they need it. Opportunities will show up and you can decide what you want to do to help.
It could be a kind word, or something more like an offer to purchase groceries for them. Support can come in many forms and sometimes it is just being there to listen.