Would you hug a stranger in the elevator?

A few weeks ago, I was in the cancer center at the U of L hospital.  I had brought my mom in for confirmation of her 3rd round of cancer, and to hear the treatment plan.  The Dr. gave us the best news possible – she would do surgery, and that would most likely take care of it with no chemo or radiation (which it did.)  But, this is not a blog post about cancer.  It’s about human connection I witnessed.

While in the waiting room, another lady had come in for her appointment.  She was nervous, her hands shaking, as she fumbled around in her purse for vending machine change, and mumbled under her breath.  She was getting frustrated because she couldn’t find a quarter.  My mom got up, and went and gave her a quarter.  She thanked her, and went to the vending machine.

A few hours later, we had seen the doctor, and were on our way home.  We got on the elevator, and as it stopped at the next floor down, the same lady got on the elevator, and burst into tears.  My mom said to her “you got bad news, didn’t you?”  The lady nodded her head, and without missing a beat, my mom stepped across the elevator and gave this lady a hug.  The lady clung to her until we reached the ground floor.  They separated, we all walked out to the parking lot.  Mom and I just remained silent for a minute, hearts hurting for this lady.  Mom said, “I wish I could’ve said more.”  

It was an experience that is burned into my memory for so many reasons.  First, there is just a comaraderie you see among cancer patients.  People are going through the same things.  Second, my mother has a compassion in her that has taught me so much through the years.  People say I’m like my daddy, but I would like to think her tender heart has been passed on to me as well.  Third,  it showed me we have opportunities to connect every day, and we can either dismiss them, and keep looking at our iphones, or we can reach out and have that human connection that we all crave so deeply.  That connection from the heart that just might make a difference in someone’s life.  Would YOU hug a stranger in the elevator?