Unsolicited

As I move forward trying to figure out my path, I was pleasantly surprised the other day. My daughter and I were out and about shopping local. One thing about small towns is that you are definitely going to bump into someone you know… or someone who knows you. That day, I looking for deals at a local sports store and then a woman approached me. She held my arm and pulled me aside to tell me that she was so proud of me for “running for mayor.” She was proud of my performance and said I did an excellent job during my campaign. That was unexpected and unsolicited.  The municipal election happened a few months ago yet people in my community still feel compelled to share their kind thoughts and support. Thank you. That was reassuring. Soon after, my daughter and I moseyed down to the local thrift store. My daughter loves thrift store shopping. Anyway, another women approaches me, holds onto my arm, and pulls me aside. She starts to tell me that her daughter will graduating from university soon and she is majoring in mathematics. Apparently, her daughter mentions ME, her high school mathematics teacher, for inspiring her to study mathematics. What??? I probably taught her over 5-6 years ago. Now that was totally unexpected and unsolicited. As a teacher, I had no idea the kind of lasting power or influence I had on my students. That was impressive… and validating. I was doing my job. Whew… the power of gratitude. Thank you both for taking the time and effort to share your gratitude with me. It made my day!!!