“ I can’t help you ”

“ I can’t help you.... ” 

That is what I was told and boy did it leave an LASTING impression. Let me back up a little bit and give you some of the back story. 

I have a gluten allergy. It is my norm to think about food, to be prepared when it comes to food because I cannot just “wing it” I always have something with me whether it is a gluten free protein bar or snacks. I cannot just rely on getting something later, because if I do and I am hungry, there may not be any gluten free options. If I do have gluten I can become very sick for days or weeks. Not worth it, so I am always prepared. 

I was planning my day and I knew that I would be unavailable for a good portion of the day. I knew I had to stop and get food. I knew that a fridge wouldn’t be an option so my go to salad was a no go. 

I said great, after class, I will go to the food store, get some cold cults to make myself a sandwich in the morning and then be on with my day. 

I pulled up to the food store shortly after 9 pm. There were a few dozen cars in the parking lot, so I didn’t think I would have any issues.  I walked up to the deli counter and I actually had to wait because there was a woman in front of me being helped. 

As the woman who was being helped was finished, the deli clerk turned to me and said “ I can’t help you, We are closing! ” I was so taken back that I froze right then and there. 

I was so upset with what I just experienced, that I turned around and exited the store extremely fast. The employee may have had a long day, she may have wanted to go home, her feet may have been hurting. Whatever it is, she completely messed up my day and my plan just by uttering those few short words. 

I didn’t have time to figured out another plan in the morning. I would have to rely on the food where my meetings were and hope that they had something for me. Was this my fault for waiting for the last minute? maybe, but I wanted  my sandwich to be fresh. 

The moral of the story here is that you never know what you say to someone how it can impact them. I just wanted to share my story with you in hopes that you will think about what you say going forward and have some compassion for the other person. 

Also, with 2020 being a leap year, let’s leap into happiness!  On February 29th help me    spread happiness throughout the day. I encourage you to do one or two or seven little things to put a smile on someone’s face. It can be a tiny thing like paying for the coffee for the person behind you in the drive thru line or giving a homeless person a meal. Whatever it is, I want to hear about it. Tag us on instagram with #leapintohappiness so we can see all the smiles! Let’s start a revolution!