Not going to lie, I was feeling pretty sorry for myself on Thanksgiving Sunday. I was stuck at work on the midnight shift scrolling through Instagram and Snapchat, seeing the countless photos of everyone with their friends and family eating good food and sharing laughter. I didn’t get to enjoy any of that. Instead, I was in an empty Beauty Boutique with nothing to do but clean and try to look busy. I had worked Thanksgiving for the past three years and there was nothing I wanted more than to have the night off and be home with my dog (oh and my family, I guess).
But it’s funny how quickly some things can change. Around 11pm, a lady walked in. At first, I was a little bit suspicious. I hate stereotyping people, but we get a lot of theft in the Beauty Boutique so I’ve learned to follow my suspicions. I followed her around the Boutique, but as soon as we started talking, I realized she was quite harmless. I always feel bad when I wrongfully suspect a customer. I was helping her pick out a fragrance and casually chatting about an illuminating eye cream when she started opening up to me. It had not been an easy year for her. Her fiancé had recently passed away of cancer. I never know what to say in these situations. I am the worst at comforting people, I wish I was better. So, I just let her cry and I nodded along. After that, I did whatever I could to make her feel better. There isn’t much you can do in a situation like that, but I tried my best. As I rang through her purchases, she told me one more thing. She found out she was 16 weeks pregnant that day. I started to offer my congratulations, but she shook her head no. She told me she was already a grandma, she had a heart condition, she was in no shape to be having a baby, especially with her fiancé having passed away. She was just having the worst day. She was in such a slump and she just wanted to stop feeling so sad.
It put it all into perspective. Here I was, being angry that I had to work a seven and a half hour shift on a Sunday. This lady had to go home to an empty house with a fetus in her stomach that she couldn’t raise, while I could go home to a family in a beautiful house with the best dog in the world. All it took was one customer to make me realize all the things I should be thankful for.
So, happy Thanksgiving. Make sure to remember what Thanksgiving is really about because we all tend to forget it sometimes. I know I certainly do. Things can always be worse. Be thankful for what you do have and forget what you don’t.
