For the past couple of weeks, I have been working at a little boutique in a local mall. Carmen is the manager. But she is so much more than that label. She is kind and gentle. Hazel-eyed. Petite. Smiling and cautious. Talkative. Adventurous and anxious. She’s quite the paradox, and utterly lovely.
Carmen loves pearls and stud earrings. Desserts make her particularly happy, especially when she bakes them. She’s a dreamer. She longs to open her own store and to design interior items. Travelling is at the top of her bucket list. France, Italy, Spain…backpacking through Europe.
Over the past couple of weeks, I have come to care so much about her. She seems like she just needs someone to talk to, to tell someone about herself and her dreams. It’s a lonely job. I can attest to that. You spend hours by yourself. When you see a customer, you are so pleased that you just about tell them your life story.
Carmen has gently placed pieces of her puzzle in my hands, and I have tried to put that puzzle together. There is such a beauty to her. There is also such a beauty in getting to know people, their puzzles, their stories. There is an even greater beauty in making people feel loved and accepted, even if only for five minutes of their story.
Carmen does that. She listens. Accepts. Most people often simply need someone to talk to.
Recently, I was watching a documentary. The last line of the documentary is:
“Sometimes you have to ask yourself which part of someone’s day you want to be.”