I was at the pharmacy today. The cashier said I had a gentle face and that

[applegrove]

I looked like his mother. He was visibly upset. Then he cried. He kept saying you look so much like her and she died so young, a few months ago. And you have such a gentle face. I said if I knew you I'd hug you. He opened his arms and we hugged right there in the store.

I wasn't really 'making someone's day' but I sorta feel like cosmically I did something good by simply showing up. He certainly got to excercise his heart....if you had seen his face and the struggle he was going through as he tried to explain his feelings to me you would understand.

And I never knew I had such a gentle face...I have frown lines and I've been through trauma (so you get grey faced and wrinkly) and I always figured I looked kinda angry all the time at this point. I guess I was wrong.

[Swede]

1. You're a good apple.

:toast:

[MiddleFingerMom]

2. You did something VERY good... and not just passively by "simply showing up".

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How wonderful and sad that must have been for you.
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Don't underestimate what you did. Another person might
have cavalierly said, "I'm sorry" -- but you stepped in
and gave him the comfort of contact in so many ways with
another human being -- you allowed him to continue his
grieving process and to dissipate his sadness, maybe just
a little -- but SOME -- through the "simple" interaction
of a hug.
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Ya done GOOD.
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It's you... and so many people like you on DU that help
make me very, VERY glad that I am here.
.
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You've helped make MY day, too.
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Thank you.
.
.
.

[applegrove]

3. Thank you. Yes. He was obviously grieving and I let him ...which those

of us who have lost a lot know well is the thing to do.

[Lindsey]

4. Very cool. You helped do something that made another

human being feel better. IMO that's why we're here.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

5. You made a lovely gesture, my dear applegrove...

I know he was grateful...

Touch is so very important.

:hug:

[tigereye]

6. good deal- nice thing to do.

[WinkyDink]

7. {{applegrove and pharmacist}} I have a friend like you.

[flying rabbit]

8. Thanks for reminding me that the human race isn't a

total write off. :hug:

[Gormy Cuss]

9. I thank my mother for teaching me the value of hugging a stranger.

While she lay dying in the hospital we spent many hours alternating between her bedside and the family room. I have a large family and there was always more than one of us around. One day we saw a woman sitting quietly in the corner of the room. She heard us talking and approached us because her mother was also dying in the same unit of the same thing. After a sentence or two she just broke down into sobs because her mother was the only family she had left. We each gave her a long hug and gave her our names and told her she was our family now.

We never saw her again but I'd like to think that we gave her a little comfort when she needed it.

[applegrove]

10. Yep. Connecting to others when you a grieving is a big thing. It is so important to bond

when you suffer a loss. Being isolated during those times is awful.