The other day at work (yeah another heart wrenching story) a women in her late 80s came stumbling in with her walking stick. She was well dressed in black and white, bright red lipstick and her grey hair was twisted into the perfect chiffon. She came up to the counter with a glass vase made out of glass fruit. As I was putting through her items and chatting to her about the vase she suddenly told me that she had been looking for vases all day because she was getting so many flowers. I naively got all excited for her and ever the optimist quickly assumed this was a good thing and asked her why she was so lucky. She then proceeded to tell me she was running out of room for all the flowers from her husband’s funeral yesterday. Then she cried. I hugged her for a bit and then she left.

Sometimes people come into your life for a second, for five minuets or forever and they instantly make you realize life isn’t all about you and however bad you’re feeling there is always someone who feels worse. They had been married for 43 years. Kleenex anyone?