“You never write, you never call . . . where’s the love gone?” That’s how I greet my CVS friend, Diane, every time I walk through the door of the local drug store.
And every time she hears it, Diane responds: “It’s right here, baby, waiting for you.”
I first met Diane a decade ago when I took the digital image Adrienne had made of our infamous holiday card to the drugstore for a quick test reprint. True to form, I flubbed the technology or whatever at the reprint machine, so asked for help from the nearest cashier, Diane. She didn’t hesitate, restarted the procedure and when she saw the print said, “That’s clever.” She was affirming and sweet, so from then on, every time I picked up a prescription, I made a point of greeting her.
I don’t know what year the reprinting of our holiday card evolved to passing the “Diane test” — “Is it still clever? Is it funny? Does she get it?” — all Adrienne and I knew is that her opinion became important not only to us . . . but also to her. She began asking about it in July. About five years ago, we began to include her on our holiday card list.
Last summer, CVS had one of its BOGO vitamin sales, and I needed Lecithin, but Diane’s CVS was out of stock. So was the CVS two miles away. Diane told me to come back the next day. When I did, she handed me a plastic CVS bag that contained two bottles of Lecithin. She told me that she had found some at the CVS store closest to her home six miles away. When I asked how much I owed her, she said, “Nothing. You’re a good friend.”
Yes, we are good friends. We still greet each other with the “Where’s-the-love-gone?” shtick every time I walk in, and about a year ago, added a “see-you–later” shtick every time I leave.
“Who loves, ya, Diane?”
“You do, baby,” she replies. “You take care.”
Diane is my kind of gal! Please take me to your CVS the next time I visit, so I can have the pleasure of meeting this treasure of a friend. She’s a gem. 🥰❤️🤗
For some reason, I thought you had met Diane, Merrie Lee. Doesn’t matter, next time you’re here, I’ll introduce you to her. Yes, she is a gem.
See, this story tells who you are. Of course it takes two and Diane is obviously a sweetie. For now I want you to take in what it says about you. YOU make friends. YOU cultivate relationships. YOU are open to possibilities of connection where others experience transaction. I love this characteristic about you. Take a moment to let it in.
Thank YOU, Charlotte.
I shall let that moment in. xoxo
And this is what I was talking about yesterday! You are an extraordinary woman who despite the pain and neglect by important figures in your life, you defy that and strike back with kindness to others. You see those who others overlook. You taught me that.
Ah shucks, Kelly. Thank you.
Until I read your comment, I had never made the connection between reaching out to those that most folks overlook. That could be the gift of being overlooked when I was a kid . . . and being overlooked in corporate America (though that’s actually a compliment when I think about it).
Sharon, you have many gifts but one of them is that you see people. You really SEE them and this causes you to notice specific details, maybe about a piece of jewelry, and that causes you to ask a question such as, “Tell me about that bracelet.” Which is another gift, you see the story before a word has ever been uttered. You surely could write a wonderful whole book just about these stories, like the one you have shared in this post and it would be truly inspiring. I don’t know the title … but you do.
Beth — you are right — I DO SEE stories before a word is uttered. I never thought about that before. Part of that ability is believing that everyone has an interesting story — I’ve never met anyone who didn’t have one. Another part of that ability is noticing the details of a person. She or he usually is wearing and/or doing something that makes them instantly unique . . . and makes me curious.
Upbeat and delightful! Think Charlotte’s comments says it all so well:
“YOU are open to possibilities of connection where others experience transaction.” Thank you for being you and for all the stories you discover, helping us to be more attentive to connection, rather than merely transaction.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo, Carol
I don’t remember ever meeting Diane. I do fondly remember you introducing me to the delightful “produce queen” at Giant. She was an expert on every vegetable – especially the tomatoes. I also met your favorite Giant cashier when we checked out. Both ladies were very sweet and genuinely happy to see you – definitely a fun highlight of my visit to see you. 😊🍅💜
You are correct — you went to the grocery store with me and met Robin, the “produce queen,” and one of the cashiers. There are several that Adrienne and I know on a first-name basis, and we are always happy to see them, too.