Mother Nature seems to harbor some resentment toward Wednesdays this winter. Each Wednesday for the past month has seen some pretty foul weather. It hasn’t been a fun commute to work. The shift from on-roll employee with the ability to work from home as needed to contractor who loses a day’s pay if she doesn’t get to the office has been equally brutal. Come to think of it, I’m beginning to really hate Hump Days myself.
But the work ethic instilled by generations of blue-collar ancestors has pushed me out the door at 5:45 a.m. each Wednesday and out onto icy roads for my 1+ hour commute. In the ice storm. In the snow storm. In the rain/ice/snow storm.
Yes, I break down into tears in my cube after I arrive. Butt least I’m still alive… so far.
Honestly, I’m not writing to b*tch about my commute. I do that often enough in face-to-face conversation. I’m writing today about the hug my heart got by a stranger at the end of today’s drive.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d have rather stayed home and not fought the snowy roads. But today, after I parked in the employee lot, and walked from the back of the complex to the front elevators, I came upon a man who seemed to be waiting for an elevator ride himself. I mistook him for a delivery guy or a vendor in to fill up the Coke machines. He was dressed in a grey uniform, boots and a baseball cap. He was probably in his 50s or early 60s. Just standing there. No company gear.
At the time of my arrival, he and I were the only ones there.
He was actually there as a random act of kindness, to greet the weary travelers. He said, looking into my eyes with a smile, “Hello! I’m so glad you got here safely.” And then hit the call button and held the elevator doors open.
As the doors closed, I heard him turn and say the same thing to the next group that arrived.
I was and am in awe of this guy. If my jaw didn’t fall open, I think my heart kinda did
Standing there this morning, when this man’s sincerity washed over me, I felt that I mattered. Someone recognized what I had gone through and cared, if only for a moment. It was quiet. It was small. It was between just this stranger and me. A human connection.
A small intention, I’m sure, but a huge gesture to this lonely, frustrated working stiff. If it was a company gesture, it might be the best one since covered parking. If it was just someone who wanted to be kind, God bless him.
Today, he is my hero. And I am grateful for him.
Christina's New Deal 
Christina, I had a similarly memorable moment once when I arrived back from an unavoidable extended trip overseas at Altanta airport. I was wheeling my bag through arrivals and a young airport employee looked at me, smiled and said “welcome home ma’am”. It was just what I needed to hear and I unexpectedly lost it! Chin up, March is the final frontier – then Spring!
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I can completely see how that would be awesome! Thanks for sharing!!
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