joyful2beeblogs

This was written when I had sciatica that affected my life in so any ways. I was only able to get out for about two hours at a time because of chronic sciatica and lower back pain. I had been feeling kind of useless and isolated, not being around people every day or two. Imagine my surprise when I was shown that that was not the case!

I was trying to decide where to eat for lunch but couldn’t make up my mind. So I got in the car and headed to a nearby part of my city to a favorite restaurant I hadn’t been too in a while.

When I arrived the parking lot was full! So I decided to head toward another favorite restaurant a few miles further down the highway. Suddenly I saw another restaurant that I liked. For some reason I had a feeling that was where I should go. I get these instinctive hunches sometimes about where I should go.

The restaurant was almost empty since I came in well past the busy lunch hour. Soon I was seated and quickly a pleasant young lady served me. Something told me that she wouldn’t mind engaging in conversation since there were hardly any other customers besides me.

I asked her about herself. She shared with me that she was working two part time jobs and going to a local community college to earn her basic courses but was uncertain about her choice of careers. I asked her what topics she was interested.

She liked forensic psychology but wasn’t sure that was her calling. I encouraged her to find a career that included an interest that she loved so she might enjoy her work more.

I knew from my sons’ experiences the stresses of college education. Serious college students are frequently under a lot of pressure from themselves, their instructors, and their parents to excel in their schoolwork and make as many “A’s” as possible. These students can easily become overwhelmed in college level classes. I could tell that she was tired and her future was in limbo waiting for her to decide what she wanted to do.

I invited her to sit with me if she had time; not surprisingly she did. We talked and I gave her some advice about taking care of herself while studying hard. I encouraged her to make time each day to love and value herself and take care of herself. That she was important and had a place in the world like everyone else. I just told her what any young woman should hear from someone: encouragement, reassurance, and a reminder that she could do well if her choice of career was one she truly loved.

She thanked me repeatedly for my advice. Her smile and eyes showed that she really valued the motherly, or in my case grandmotherly, advice. I knew then why I couldn’t decide where to eat until the “right ” restaurant was in view. I was there for her. I was guided to the right restaurant at the right time, so I could help and encourage the young woman.

I needed this as much as she did. Even if I could only handle a couple of hours away from the house, I could still help others.

Everywhere we go there are people who need a kind smile, encouraging words, some small humorous incident that makes them smile or laugh.