The sun sets on another day…
A warm misty rain covered the horizon, and although colors poked out, the sunset was lost in a wish wash of misty greys. That’s ok, at least the cold has hidden away for a while.
It was a long time ago, 1987 to be exact. My daughter was little. I was working at one of the best companies in the country at the time. It was entry-level, and I stocked shelves, cleaned, and managed about ten people. I was in an old store and cleaned a lot, well, more than a lot. My “uniform,” a suit and tie, was usually black by the end of the day as I tried to improve things. I had a desire to make things work well and look good. Along the way, someone in the corporate office overordered a new cleaner, and we got about 50 cases of a miracle formula called simple green.
We used it, and it worked, not a little, really well, but it also had a perk. On each bottle was a pin noting “EGBAR.” It had a story with it. A tale of a man down to the last dollar of his company, not sure where payroll would come from, and as he spoke to the employees he cared about, he said, “Don’t worry, everything is going to be all right,” and it was. The story was touching, and I was, well, felt. I put the pins in my pocket (most of my co-employees threw them away) and held on to the story.
It was not too long later that someone came in, they had major problems, were beaten down, did not know what to do. Their car had broke down on the lot and I helped them get it started. I handed them a pin from my pocket and said, “Don’t worry, everything is gonna be all right” the smiled, look at me, then the pin and took it. I felt good about it. I kept it up. I started seeing those pins come back and shop and see me, they wore the pins sometimes, sometimes they didn’t. My business grew, and the store was clean, and you know what, everything was all right.
I left that company and had about 100 pins left. Over the years I gave them out until one day I ran out. I tried to get in touch with the company but was never answered, eventually I had some made. Then I gave out more. I never tracked names, some I told the story, some I did not. In the end I just wanted to help people smile a little.
Years later, someone walked up to me, and I remembered them. We talked briefly, and they took out the pin I had given them. It was worn and beaten. It had seen a long road with many bumps. The green enamel was nearly gone, and you could see the EGBAR still, but it was all one color. They proceeded to tell me that they were in a bad way when I gave the pin to them. They felt as though the world didn’t care and there was no reason to live. They said I saw them, talked to them for a while, and gave them the pin “just because it would cheer them up.” I had told them to give it to someone else when they felt better, and they never did. They always needed it, and that was ok. I smiled, and they said thank you.
My point is, I never looked for anything in return, but I got it right there in a few words from someone. I apparently made a difference to one person, and in return they made a difference to me.
Funny how that happens. Things often just work out. In the midst of it all, maybe everything is going to be alright. We just have to spend the time helping it along.
So as the sun sets on another day, make an investment into others. Change the world, one day at a time. Don’t look for followers or payback, but instead show the world you are making a difference every day, no matter what.
Sleep sweet, love life, and EGBAR…