I was walking towards the Grocery Story safety cross-walk when I saw a silver-haired senior lady at her car. She was parked in the very first handicap parking space. She was just closing the back door to her car; after having unloaded her smaller size grocery cart.
She had a portable oxygen tank in the lower basket of the cart, with the breathing tubes leading around the cart up to her nose.
I offered to take her cart back into the store with me. She smiled and thanked me as she moved it towards me. I said: ‘I’LL WAIT TILL YOU GET YOUR OXYGEN TANK SO I DON’T YANK THOSE BREATHING TUBES OUT OF YOUR NOSE!’
She laughed, and then almost started to lift the portable tank out of the cart basket from the wrong side. I let her know, and we chuckled over how she would have yanked the tubes out herself. I asked her if it was too heavy to carry, if she wanted some assistance. I said: ‘THAT’S A LOT OF HOT AIR, YOU KNOW!’ We laughed and joked as she headed back to her car with the oxygen tank; and I headed towards the store. PRICELESS MOMENT!
After I was done shopping and heading back out the door; I saw a woman sitting in a physical assist cart. I smiled at her. She instantly responded: ‘IT’S SO BORING SITTING HERE!’ I said: ‘WELL THEN! ALLOW ME TO ENTERTAIN YOU!’
I asked her how to say HELLO in Hawaiian, and then quickly let her know it is ALOHA. (she was concerned she didn’t know)
I then asked her what ALOHA ended with? She smiled as she noted: HA! I said: THAT’S WHAT I DO! I INVITE FOLKS TO LAUGH WITH ME FOR THE HEALTH OF IT!
Because she said she was bored, I offered her one of my SMILE GAME LAFOLOT bookmarks. I explained how she could JUST SIT THERE – SMILE AT FOLKS as they PASSED BY – and give herself a POINT everytime someone SMILED BACK! I let her know she could get TWO PIONTS everytime they also gave her a smile WITH A VERBAL RESPONSE! She was VERY interested in it. She said she PREFERRED having conversations with people as she sat there and waited. I said I was glad I could oblige!
She said she was going to save the smile game bookmark card; and keep it with her. I left her on a MISSION as I left the store. SHE HAD SMILE POINTS and SMILE SHARING to keep her busy, now!
Here’s to spreading A LOT OF HOT AIR with KEWL KINDNESS to breeze through life’s later challenges such as an Oxygen Tank; or getting bored, sitting in a physical assist cart while waiting for a ride.
HAPPY CONVERSATIONS AND SMILES TO ALL!
Ha Ha Helen of LAFOLOT – Outlook Shift Engineer! Hear! Here!