A few Saturdays later, I ventured back to Target around midday. Sure enough, I spotted him at the cereal aisle, that baby doll nestled in the crook of his arm. As I walked up, I could hear him talking softly, “No, we don’t need more cookies,” he said, as if the doll had asked for them. I bit back a smile, feeling that same surge of emotion. There was a rightness to seeing him there, keeping his promise.
We chatted about nothing for a while: how blueberry waffles were on sale again, and how the store replaced some old signage. Just normal conversation, like we were old friends. But beneath the small talk was the profound knowledge that this man was grieving in one of the most genuine ways possible—by embracing love instead of shutting down.
That’s what I learned from Marcos and his doll: We truly have no clue about someone’s story until we take the time to learn it. We assume, we judge, we laugh. But underneath that gruff exterior—or behind that behavior we can’t understand—there’s almost always a reason, a story that can stir our compassion. Sometimes all it takes is a little bravery, a soft question, and a willingness to listen.
Never judge a person just by how they look or by how they seem on the surface. Every single one of us is going through something. And if we slow down, extend a bit of kindness, and approach people with an open heart, we might discover stories that change us for the better. We might even make a friend we never expected.
Continue reading…
