I have been shopping at the Aamazing Fantasy comic book store in Littleton, CO since I was in the seventh grade. Over the years I have spent countless hours enwrapped in the tales of wonder and woe offered by this shop, and it holds a special place in my heart. As I was purchasing my weekly comic shipment today, I learned that the owner's wife had just passed away.
While I was extending my condolences, Shawn (the owner) found it necessary to walk across the store to where I was standing, hug me, and thank me. You see, a few years back, I had given a ride to his wife so that they could get their sick cat to the vet. It had taken no more than a half hour of my time and really didn't require much effort on my part. In fact, I seem to recall making a joke at the time that this was the easiest good deed for the year that I'd ever done.
Years later, that simple act of kindness suddenly meant a great deal to Shawn, and I found myself sharing a hug with someone whom I don't even believe I've shaken hands with. I spent the rest of the day reflecting on this exchange, trying to wrap my mind around it.
Too often, I think that I simply ignored the people that were around me. I glossed over their pain, their suffering, their loss because I didn't want to get involved. I didn't want it to bog me down. After all, I've got enough problems of my own that I don't need to waste my time on them...Now I find myself wishing that I would have spent a little more time reaching out to those that have been around me.
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