Let me start by saying this post will be disjointed at best. I used the picture above because it will help to segue into the story I want to tell below. That story involved a cupcake rather than a cookie on a stick. But both the cookie and cupcake were pleasant surprises from wonderful people in my life.
First, the cookie. Of course I don't think boys are mean, generally. And really, when I pause to think about it, I don't know of any specific boys who are mean either. But a friend of mine, a couple of days after my recent relationship ended, called to see if I was home from work. She said she was in my neighborhood and wanted to drop a little something off at my house. I --- as I've found myself doing more and more these days --- was unfortunately still at the office. But, when I arrived home I found the cookie in a bag with a sweet card attached. It was not meant to bash my ex, but to lift my spirits. It worked, even if only momentarily.
Last week, when I returned from court, I found a cupcake lying near my keyboard. I was incredibly hungry, and thus, failed to pause to take a picture before I ravenously devoured it. But the story behind the cupcake, like the co-worker who left it there, is special.
Last week my co-worker, L, lost her grandfather. L is one of the hardest working folks at our office and she has a huge heart. My view on work and on life generally is that if I can make a difference in one person's life, then I've done my part. Based on my standard alone, L had not only done her part, but exceeded it multiple times.
The night before her grandfather's funeral, L sent out an email to our entire office. The subject wasn't about her recent loss, but instead, about an important upcoming event in one of her client's lives. For privacy sake, I'll refer to L's client as John. John is a character. He loves L and because of his nearly daily visits to her office several of the other attorneys, including myself, have come to know and also adore John. So what was the special event? John was set to celebrate the first year anniversary of his sobriety the next day. Since L was going to be out of the office attending the funeral, she asked us to congratulate John if we happened to see him around the office.
Luckily, as I drove into work the next morning, I immediately spotted John, dressed as dapper as ever, talking with his friends in front of our office building. It was the perfect opportunity to show support for John's amazing milestone. I stopped my car, rolled down the window, and gave the biggest and loudest shout-out possible. John threw his hands into the air and started to dance around in joy, while all of his friends clapped and gave him high-fives in support.
It was a proud moment for John, as it should have been. Combating substance abuse is not an easy task for anyone. But, most of our clients come from impoverished backgrounds and grew up in situations that cause me to wonder, if put in similar circumstances, how I would have fared. So their ability to "make it out" is, I believe, extra special.
It was also a proud moment for me. I thought of L and all of the work she's done to help John arrive at the place he is today. But, I also thought of how amazing she is because L is very close to her family, and yet in a time of extreme loss and pain, she was still thinking of others. Rather than keeping my thoughts to myself, I picked up the phone and left her a message. The message was simple: L, you are an amazing person; your thoughtful email truly made a difference in John's life; I'm so happy to work with you; and I'm here if you need anything today.
The very next day L left the aforementioned cupcake on my desk with a sweet note thanking me for being such a great friend in the last few months. Yet another example of how selfless she is.
The cupcake, due to the amount of work piled up on my desk, was my lunch that day. But as a very wise person in my life stated when I relayed the story to her, "Nutritional nourishment may have been missing from your meal, but emotionally you were certainly satiated." I agree.
I have only lived in New Orleans for eleven months. But, I've met so many amazing people that have truly become friends of mine in every sense of the word. I'm blessed and thankful.
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