Shine. Now.

Let me set the scene for you:

Supper time - hungry kids and hectic mama.
Isa's playing table tennis on the Kinect, TV volume at 100.
Dodging Rhyse's remote-control car as it careens around the kitchen.

In the midst of the madness, the home telephone rings. Which I rarely answer. But I did.

A lady said, "Ma'am, do you have a moment to complete a survey for me?" Honest. Earnest. Not your typical "I'm so and so with such and such..." blabber.

Nine times out of ten I would have hung up. Something compelled me to say yes.

Her response? "Oh, thank you. You're the first person to say yes, and if you hadn't, they would have sent me home."  Something about her...

A music survey about local radio stations. How appropriate. It was the craziest 15 minutes, listening to song excerpts, dodging the car, asking Isa to turn down the TV, finally turning the cooktop off before it all burned to charcoal and running to my room to finish the call. So fun, though, and we laughed our way through it.

Once completed, the conversation turned. She had what she needed, but she began...

Ma'am, can I tell you something? (Sure.) 

I just feel like we were meant to talk today. (Hmmm...)

Can I ask...(pause)...do you smile all the time? (Well, I try...) 

I hear the smile in your voice, and you've made my day. (So happy your day is better.)
You must be an angel. (Oh no.)

And then there were tears. What the heck...  

Honey, are you okay? (It's just been a hard day, and your kindness was unexpected.)

Oh, see, I knew we were supposed to talk today. (You have no idea.)

I'm sending warm thoughts your way. You'll make it. (Yes I will. Thank you.)

This call has made my day. (Mine too. You're the angel.)

Incredible. 

Takeaway? Two complete strangers, who most likely will never cross paths again, took the opportunity to show kindness and change the course of our day - for the better.

A friend talks about intersections and how that is the stuff of which life is made. 'Tis true. We are given opportunities/intersections every day, and our choices and responses serve to define our lives and those fortunate (or not) to meet us. Perhaps just incrementally at that moment, but the resulting causal sequence cannot be measured.

Two favorite quotes come to mind, that together, remind me:  Now is a unique opportunity - one that will never happen quite the same way again - for all of us to shine a little brighter. If we did, we'd eliminate a lot of darkness in the world...and in ourselves.

As we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence actually liberates others. ~ Marianne Williamson

There exists only the present instant... a Now which always and without end is itself new. There is no yesterday nor any tomorrow, but only Now, as it was a thousand years ago and as it will be a thousand years hence. ~ Meister Eckhart