The Story of Annamarie and Sandie Every morning, when Annamarie Ausnes would head to her local Starbucks to pick-up her usual coffee, she looked forward to making a bit of small talk with the barista, Sandie Anderson, but she never imagined that those little conversations would one day save her life. Over time, what had begun as a casual, “How’s your morning?” or “Nice weather, huh?” eventually grew into more personal exchanges about their grandkids, weekend plans, and holiday traditions, until one day Sandie noticed something wasn’t quite right with her “short-drip double-cupped” customer. And instead of ignoring it, she decided to trust her instincts and asked one simple question: “Are you okay?” At first, Annamarie was reluctant to confide in her barista buddy, but with a little prodding, she opened up. “Actually, I’m not doing so well,” she sighed. “I was just placed on the national kidney transplant list and I’m getting ready to go on dialysis.” To her shock, Sandie would discover that her friendly customer faced a bleak future. Distraught and determined to help, Sandie announced that she would get tested to see if she could become a donor. As luck would have it, Sandie turned out to be a match and donated a kidney to Annamarie. Today Annamarie is not only alive and well, the two women are dear friends. And it all started with a cup of coffee and a little small talk. Of course, not all of us have the ability or courage to make the huge gesture Sandie made by donating her kidney to a virtual stranger, but by simply making small talk, we open ourselves up to new people, new experiences, and new opportunities. As children, we make friends easily. We ask for each other’s names, we join in and play with one another. But as we grow older, we tend to close ourselves off, shield ourselves with technology, and forget to acknowledg e the people who are right in front of us. So put away the iPhone for a minute, look up from your laptop, and take the first step by saying hello to the stranger sitting next to you. You never know, they just might be the hero you’ve been hoping for.
Posted on: Sun, 01 Dec 2013 10:43:38 +0000
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