Today was the first day of school for my two oldest kids. My wife took our oldest to her first day of middle school (gasp!) and I dropped my now fourth grader off for her first day, trying hard not to embarrass her. I then took my two youngest who won't start school until later this week to a new doughnut shop that recently opened on Oak Island (Ahoy Doughnuts). I thought my girls would enjoy fresh doughnuts after school plus I wanted to have something sweet to dip in my coffee.
We walked into the shop and, as I am in the habit of doing, I began talking with woman behind the counter. They asked if I wanted coffee which I politely declined, informing them that I am a true coffee snob who roasts his own coffee. That opened up the conversation to the possibility of serving fresh coffee in their shop among other things. As we continued to chat, I learned that this woman and her husband and kids moved down to the area this past spring soon after we did from the same area of Winston-Salem where we lived. In fact, they lived only a few miles away from where we used to live and their kids, who are older than ours, even went to the same elementary school that my children did. It also turns out they are looking for ways to plug into a community of faith and I was able to share with them about the church I attend.
This may seem like a trivial little story to some people, but I would wholeheartedly disagree that encounters like this aren't all that important. Everyone has a story to tell and they are usually pretty eager to share it if we will just take a little time to listen. I spent about a half an hour in that little shop and besides eating a delicious doughnut I was able to make new friends in the community. This makes me think of an important truth that we often forget:
We walked into the shop and, as I am in the habit of doing, I began talking with woman behind the counter. They asked if I wanted coffee which I politely declined, informing them that I am a true coffee snob who roasts his own coffee. That opened up the conversation to the possibility of serving fresh coffee in their shop among other things. As we continued to chat, I learned that this woman and her husband and kids moved down to the area this past spring soon after we did from the same area of Winston-Salem where we lived. In fact, they lived only a few miles away from where we used to live and their kids, who are older than ours, even went to the same elementary school that my children did. It also turns out they are looking for ways to plug into a community of faith and I was able to share with them about the church I attend.
This may seem like a trivial little story to some people, but I would wholeheartedly disagree that encounters like this aren't all that important. Everyone has a story to tell and they are usually pretty eager to share it if we will just take a little time to listen. I spent about a half an hour in that little shop and besides eating a delicious doughnut I was able to make new friends in the community. This makes me think of an important truth that we often forget:
You don't make time for people. Time is already there. Instead, you take the time that you already have and invest it wisely.Time is a priceless commodity. We can't create it but we can certainly waste it. Time must be used wisely and I can't think of many other ways that to use the time that you have to invest in others. People are worth our time. So slow down. Take a few extra minutes to talk. Don't rush off. Invest the time that you are given and see how great the return will be.
No comments:
Post a Comment