Light Bulb!!

The warehouse at work is about 99% male. They vary greatly in age and ethnicity. There are some old guys. Young guys. Latino guys that don't know English and just smile and nod at me when I go out there. I am going to tell you about one man that I've gotten to know over the past couple of years.

I really don't know how old JR is. He made some comment once about collecting old age pension, so I guess he's at least 65. He certainly doesn't seem that old. We talk cooking. iPhone apps. Family and travel. We've developed a friendship over the years and I always look forward to talking to him. I saw JR today, and with a big smile on his face, he strode towards me saying "I'm baaaaack!" That was then I had a moment of panic! He was gone? How long? What happened?

So it turns out, JR was off for two months. He had a heart attack. He told me how he started feeling poorly, had a lot of pressure in his chest and decided to go to the hospital. They immediately rushed him to Hamilton where he underwent emergency surgery. After recovering from the surgery, he was on bed-rest for a while, went through some rehab and took it easy for several weeks. He's on light duty now and is only working part-time. He said that it's been hard for him, because for two months, he's done basically nothing. His body's not used to working.

Two months. Two. Months. He was gone for two months, and I didn't notice. It's not like I never had opportunity to see him out there. I was in the warehouse making a nuisance of myself several times a day for the past month. Some of the guys started yelling out "HERE COMES TROUBLE!!" just at the sight of me. I was thinking about maybe getting the guys some flowers for all of the trouble that I have caused them, but somehow, I don't think they would appreciate it. Hahahaa! How could someone that I spoke to almost every day have been absent for two months and I didn't notice?

My goodness, today was a wakeup call for me. I've just been going through life, really only worrying about myself. How many people do I come in contact with on a daily basis? I have such an opportunity to make a difference in someone's life. Both positively and negatively. I'm sure it made JR feel great that I didn't notice that he had been gone. As much as I tried to hide it, I know he saw the blank look on my face.

This moment of self discovery has led me to a fork in the road. Path #1 leads to an elaborately prepared pity party. Path #2 leads to a sense of determination to change. I'm taking path #2. I know I'm not a jerk at heart. I know that there have been times when I have been able to help people. But now I've realized that I can get better at it. I can clean out the corners in my brain that are currently occupied with music lyrics and movie quotes, and instead fill those areas with care and concern for those around me. Love my neighbour as myself.