Jump Start

A little over three years ago, Trudy Paine, who owned a vintage clothing store in a college town in Massachusetts, mentioned to my mom that she was in the market for vintage dresses. Wanting to clear her attic of the sentimental things stored by her three long-grown children, my mom called to ask me, “Would you be interested in selling your prom dress?”
I was disconcerted. “Seriously? My sexy prom dress, slit up the sides, with hot pants, is now considered VINTAGE?” Apparently so.

A few months later, I got to meet Trudy, the woman who eventually sold this irreplaceable vestige of my fashionable past.

When I mentioned that I was writing a book about people who were touching the lives of others, Trudy said, “I have a great story for you!” Told in her own words, here is what took place one afternoon at Uncle Margaret’s Vintage Clothing Store. You’ll love how Trudy was able to jump start someone’s life!

Wonder how much money I’ll make today? I thought, grappling with a crossword puzzle while I awaited customers. It was a very slow day at my store, and the entire street seemed eerily quiet—even the birds weren’t making a sound.

I heard a shuffle outside, and looking out the store window, I saw a lanky young man with long, spaghetti-like legs slowly walking toward the front door. His shoulders were stooped, his head was hanging, and he seemed to be staring more at the ground than at his destination.

Hmmmm. This will be interesting.

The young man entered the store and stood in front of the counter. He didn’t make eye contact. “Hi. I’ve been looking for work, and wonder if you’re hiring, but I suppose you’re not, so I guess I’ll leave.”

He looked so defeated standing there in his worn-out clothes and downcast demeanor.

Impulsively, I pointed to the men’s dressing room and said, “Wait a minute. Go into that room.” Then I grabbed a pair of black pants, a 1950s blue suit jacket, and a shirt that all looked like they would fit, and handed them to him. “Try these on just for fun.”

“Okay,” he said, looking puzzled, but passively responding to my directive. As he shuffled to the room, I heard him mumble, “Sure, why not. I haven’t got anything better to do.”

A few minutes later, he emerged from the dressing room. I couldn’t believe the metamorphosis. “Go look at yourself in the mirror,” I ordered.

When he did, it was like watching a dry, droopy flower get some raindrops. He straightened his posture, his eyes brightened, and his mouth fell open. “Wow! Everything fits perfectly,” he said, looking pleased with what he saw.

As I approached him to straighten his shirt collar, he appeared a bit perplexed. I looked into his eyes and said, “Now, go look for work!”

“But I can’t afford these clothes,” he said.

“Yes, you can. Once when I was younger, I got help from a truck driver who told me to pass it on, and so I am. You do the same thing.”

Then I put his other clothes in a bag, handed it to him, and pointed to the door. “Go on. Git!” After saying thank you a dozen times, he walked confidently out of the store.

I looked out the window and watched as he started walking faster. Then something magical happened. He jumped up, clapped his heels together, threw his arms in the air, and snapped his fingers. Through teary eyes, I laughed, seeing his spontaneous joy.

About two-and-a-half hours later, he came running into the store. Panting and out of breath, he said, with a wide grin, “I had to come to tell you: I got a job! A REAL job!”

“Good for you,” I said, giving him a high five.

After he left, I realized that what he’d given me that day was worth far more than making a sale. He accepted my gesture of giving, he shared his young adult world with me, and unbeknownst to him, he reminded me that connecting to another human being with kindness makes everyone involved feel good.

He also left me with a beautiful memory that I pull out whenever I need a lift, and it immediately makes me smile.

Are there times when you are “living small,” not living up to the potential of who you are meant to be?

Have you ever shifted your perspective of yourself because of the way that someone else saw you?

What are the things that you can do to help others to see their potential and jump start their life?

Excerpt from “Love Is the New Currency”