Noodles & Company
Do you believe in chance encounters?
I drove to Noodles & Company Monday night after one of the longest days of my life. I was exhausted from planning and hosting an event for work. All I wanted to do was eat soup and go to bed. As I walked into the restaurant, I noticed a cute, tall blonde boy sitting by himself. I couldn’t believe my eyes because the LAST time I went to Noodles in the summer, there was a different cute, tall blonde boy sitting by himself. And you all know, there is no way in heck I’m not taking golden opportunities like that to meet someone new. God really does know how to bless me when I’m having a rough day.
We both ordered our food to go but by the time our orders came, we were sitting and talking at the same table. He asked how my day was and I answered honestly, describing the frustrations I experienced because of my job. He was really nice, listening intently and asking detailed questions etc. After I finished sharing, I asked him to tell me about his life and family. Typical small talk stuff.
He told me he only had sisters and no brothers. Which I responded that I believe the sweetest guys are ones who only have sisters (anyone else come to this observation? It’s so true!). He kind of laughed then looked down at his curry and said, “Well. You’re about to hear my whole life story now… My dad passed away a year ago.”
Oh no. My heart sank.
“Oh my gosh. I am so sorry. I am so sorry.”
He doesn’t look up. “Thank you. Yeah… It’s been hard. I kind of have to play the role of brother, husband and dad now.”
“How did he pass away?”
“He had cancer. Since I was in 7th grade.”
“How is your mom doing?”
“My mom… she is… having a hard time. My sister leaves for her mission this week, so she’s totally going to lose it.”
Ahhh. I could not believe what I was hearing. This sweet, kind boy and his family were hurting so much. And not 8 minutes before, I was complaining to him about disorganization at work. Suddenly, I wasn’t exhausted anymore. My problems didn’t seem to matter.
We continued talking for an hour and then said goodbye. But I’ve thought about our conversation all week. How important it is for us to ask each other how we are doing and to mean it. How important it is to be real and open, even with strangers.
Talking with him gave me a new perspective on two things. Currently, my mom is going through a lot of health problems. It has been difficult for my family. But when he told me about his dad, I realized I need to live with greater gratitude because I still have my mom. Someone always has it worse than us.
Secondly, he said none of his friends have asked him about his dad’s passing. This shocked and saddened me. He said he didn’t know why, that maybe they were nervous because it’s a sensitive subject. But as we spoke and empathized with one another, I realized it wasn’t just me who needed to meet a random person at Noodles & Co. God knew what we both needed. And He let us cross paths because He knew we would strengthen each other.
One of my favorite quotes is, “We are so much less without each other.” I would even go as far to say: we are nothing without each other. We grow and become who God wants us to be as we serve and love those around us. We cannot live with God again if we do not love God as well as our neighbor. Our baptismal covenants are social covenants. We can and need to be the answer to the prayers of our friends, family members and even strangers. I know as pray for charity and strive to be a friend to all, we will find true joy.