Walking into the doctor’s office, I noticed the old building was no longer where the doctor was. It is just the reception now. The doctor met the patients in a new room across from the old one.
With a couple of new paintings on the wall and an accent sofa seat in the corner, the room looked like it had gotten a makeover a long time back. I was asked to sit and wait as the next patient was me.
When it was my turn, I walked in, and the doctor said hi, calling out my name with a big, broad smile. It has been at least seven years since I last visited her, yet she still remembers my name?!
I was super impressed with her memory as we continued talking about the whereabouts of our lives for a few minutes. To my surprise, she recollected our conversations from the past. She seemed to remember all the minute details in depth.
As I left, she asked, “How did you ever think I could forget you?!” Her words lingered in my ears long after I was gone from that spot.
This was not one such incident. I took my aunt shopping for her daughter’s wedding attire a few months back. We went to the same place; I once did shopping for my wedding.
As we navigated all the options, the man in the shop recalled, “Oh, I know you. You came here to shop for your wedding”. I thought, “Maybe he is making up stuff,” but here is the catch. He said, “It was at least ten years back.” He was precisely correct!
My aunt was shocked, and I froze. Unbelievable! The same thing happened in the following store we went to. The shopkeeper there remembered seeing me seven years back, and he said I went there with my younger sister to shop for her wedding. Bingo! He was so right!
So, what makes people remember me so vividly? I wondered. I figured it was either honest feedback or genuine appreciation! They yearned for and received something from me, like a customer’s remark or attention to detail.
I was deeply touched by the power of human memory associated with positive experiences: How easy it becomes to print the faces of people in our hearts when what we anticipate takes form through someone’s words!
I closed my eyes to remember those who impacted me; I saw my ex-neighbor, who casually walked across my garage greeting me, “Hi, Super Mom,” on a lazy afternoon as I pulled my car out to pick up the kids. He had no clue his words were going to recharge the cells in me, transforming my slow afternoons into powerful ones! His words hit the core of my heart as they reflected exactly how I wanted to be seen!
The stranger runner in the park who stopped to applaud me after I finished every mile motivated me to become a long-distance runner. If not for him, I would have never crossed the 3-mile limit. To this day, I think of his cheering even on my dull days, reviving my energy level to new heights!
To know that we matter, not only to us but also to others, is an immense feeling: an emotion that deserves to be cherished by one and all!
We never know how many people will remember us for our simplest acts of service. By being kind and positive to people around us in our presence, we can make their day a tad brighter and a whole lot more eventful!
My wish for you today is to find ways to live in many hearts and make space in yours for others to stay!
© Tamil, 2023
PS: This story was originally published on Medium.