I'm So Happy You're Here

It should have been so simple—no more than a few seconds and it would be done.

And yet it wasn’t that simple.

And she was getting frustrated. 

All she wanted to do was get copies made, but she couldn’t get the copy machine working.

And she tried everything: She tried hitting the machine. She tried unplugging it and plugging it back in. She even tried begging and pleading.

But nothing worked!

Thankfully, a man walking by in the hallway saw her in distress and stepped in to help. And Voilà! It worked! A happy ending after all.

I share this seemingly mundane story because of how the woman responded to the man who stepped in to help.

Think about how you’ve seen others respond to frustrating circumstances.

Maybe they spewed complaints.

Maybe they were insulted by the gesture because they felt they should have been able to do it on their own.

Or maybe they simply ignored the helper out of frustrated exasperation.

We’ve seen all of these kinds of responses at some point, but this woman did none of these. Instead, she simply looked at the man and said: “I’m so happy you’re here.”

Simple words.

Kind words.

Words that cost nothing to give, but when received have the power to encourage others. 

Everyone who walks into your life has a story you know nothing about, and that was certainly the case for the man who shared this story with me.

Years earlier he had gone through a period of depression and decided the world would be better if he wasn’t around—so he made his plan and set it into action: He would take care of some unfinished business at the office and then after work he would take his own life.

But when the big day arrived, as he was leaving the office, he passed by a woman in the hallway struggling with the copy machine. She was banging it, turning it off and on, and begging and pleading for it to work. 

Sure, he was in a hurry to get to his appointment with death, but he took a moment to step in to help, and when he did, instead of adding to the negativity that was already eating the man alive, the woman simply smiled and said: “I’m so happy you’re here.”
 
Simple words.
 
Kind words.
 
Words that cost nothing to give, but when received have the power to encourage others. 
 
Everyone who walks into your life has a story you know nothing about, which is why—as the author J.M. Barrie reminds us—we must “be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.”

At the very least, kindness can inspire a smile; at the very most, it can save a life.

And that was certainly the case for the man who shared this story with me.
 
Reflection
How might you share more kindness with the people around you?