When my kids were little, one of their favorite questions to ask us was: “Who’s your favorite kid?”
And of course we all know there’s no such thing as a favorite kid. My husband would always answer them:
“My favorite kid is the one I’m with.”
And I love that.
Because that’s not just true of my kids. It’s true for everybody I encounter.
My favorite person in the world is the one I’m with right now.
That’s never been more evident or illustrated better to me than just last week when I paid a visit to my hometown post office. On the day of my visit, I talked with the clerk ad nauseum about the antics of her cat, then purchased five books of stamps, and left.
A week later, I discovered I had left ALL the stamps on the counter.
On the day I returned, this was our exchange:
“Hi, I’m sure you don’t remember me but I was here last Monday and bought some stamps. I think I may have left them on the counter?”
“You did! You did!” she cried. “I saved them for you. I knew you would come back!”
I tell you this story because while I was waiting in line to ask about my stamps the girl at the desk ahead of me also had a stamp problem. In her case, she had applied beach-themed stamps from the year 1945 to her wedding invitations and couldn’t figure out how to apply the additional postage necessary to ensure delivery in the year 2021. My patience faltered. I was tired and annoyed and—darn it—I didn’t have time for this!
And yet….
Don’t we all want to be treated like we’re the favorite?
All it takes is dedicated focus to the one who is with you.
It’s not that hard, really.
Before I knew it, I was up next and the post office lady SAVED MY STAMPS. I felt like the prodigal son—leaving my post office so many days prior with nary a thought about my stamps or the lady who had helped me. And now I was back, just like she knew I would!
How would our lives be different if we acted like the most important person in the world was always the one who is with us right now?