Just a Little Lavender

 

It’s been a whirlwind of a week.

Demanding customers, unforeseeable slip-ups, and a splash of family tension make for what you might call utter insanity.

Add to that a heaping dose of postgraduate uncertainty and a pinch of ever-present doubt that I think lingers in the minds of most twenty-somethings, and I was in the thick of it.

Saying things I shouldn’t. Thinking things that are entirely untrue. Letting myself wander down the rabbit hole of negativity that the world can create so very easily.

And yet.

This morning happened.

About a week ago, in the mania that stems from springtime at a full-scale nursery operation, I answered a phone call. A woman was on the other end of the line, simply asking for ten lavender plants.

A tiny request. One that normally I would fluff off. We have minimum orders and this one simply didn’t cut it. Not even close.

For some reason, in the fray, I took the order.

I told her it would be ready on Friday.

So today was the day.

She called and I said, Yes, everything’s ready. Come by anytime.

About half an hour later, she arrived. And she. was. SO. EXCITED. Positively giddy that I’d gone out of my way to provide her with lavender.

I smiled. Of course. I’m so glad you called. Really, it was no trouble at all.

Because it wasn’t. And when I showed her the plants, you’d have thought they were her long-lost children. As if I’d suddenly revealed life’s truth to her.

In the meantime, I was interrupted about three times during this exchange, and when I finally returned to load the lavender into her car, I apologized. So sorry, things are crazy around here. Hopefully I’m getting things under control.

And she said these words:

You’re doing just fine. Great, even.

A slap in the face to the dark, grumpy Kristen that’s been starring in this week’s episode of The Shit Show.

You’re doing just fine. Great, even.

She certainly didn’t have to speak those words. But she did. Looked me right in the eye and said exactly what I needed to hear and how the hell did she know?

And I suppose I didn’t have to take her order, but I did.

The extra mile is a hard place to go. But we went, me and this kind woman.

Because damn if that’s not one of the best things in this life. The give and take and getting lost somewhere between the two.

I thanked her, and she thanked me, and I invited her to come back at Christmas, and she drove away, beaming, ten little lavender plants in tow.

 

 

 {photo credit: the talented, brilliant Emily Blasik}

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  • This is beautiful, I love your writing and could read it all day! I can relate to this feeling of uncertainty and trying to find myself between young professionals and just being lost. Your stories are so uplifting and make me smile, every time. xoxo