Everybody has a story. This thought keeps running through my mind as I sit in the waiting room at the VA where my husband is getting his first chemo treatment.
I sit with an elderly veteran in a wheelchair. He looks so alone. I ask him if he’s up next to receive his chemo treatment and he turns his wheelchair toward me and begins to tell me of his life, his cancer, grown kids and daily activities.
I did not ask him for these details but the phrase keeps whispering into my soul, “Everybody has a story”. So I listen at first feigning a genuine interest and then becoming genuinely interested. With my questions and comments he weaves a brief tapestry of his days, struggles and achievements.
When the nurse calls his name, he flashes me a smile and I had made a new friend.
Be it in the elevator, waiting in line, at the ball game or a visit to the dentist, everybody has a story, be it the brief or extended version. But the question is, who is willing listen? Price to pay? A little time. Payoff? Human connection and an activated soul.