Do you know someone with certain personality traits that never cease to leave you shocked and amazed? I am continuously amazed by the way my sweet boyfriend, Cason, uses his social skills to bless and give to others. Let me share a story with you.
A few weeks ago Cason decided to sell his TV on Craigslist. Not a new phenomenon. People sell stuff on Craigslist all the time. Well after a series of texts and calls from random people, Cason finally has someone who wants to meet up to see the TV and potentially make a purchase. He asks me if I want to tag along, which of course I do, so we set off for the local Starbucks and grab some drinks while we wait. Soon enough a newly-married military couple approaches, and Cason starts up a conversation with them. Me, I would immediately start talking about the TV and get down to business; that’s just the way my brain works. Cason, no, he starts by asking them about their background: Are you military? Where are you from? Are you new to the area? (Duh, seriously why can’t I ever think of the right questions to ask in social situations?)
Anyway, they head off to Cason’s car to check out the TV while I sit sipping my still-hot latte. Cason returns quite some time later with a huge grin on his face, which I immediately interpret to mean that he sold the TV. However, the first thing out of his mouth was something like, “They are a really cool couple.” (By now I shouldn’t be surprised that Cason always puts relationships with people above business. It’s something I truly admire about him.) Then he goes on to tell me about how the couple was looking for a good church in the area and had visited one. Cason, being the social networker that he is, knew people at the church and recommended people they could get plugged in with. Finally he tells me basically that he loves to sell things on Craigslist because it gives him opportunities to meet people like that. Gee, isn’t that an awesome perspective to have on what many, including myself, would typically view as nothing more than a means to a quick & profitable business transaction.
You would think the story ends here, but there’s more. We saw this sweet, young couple last weekend at church and made plans to grab some dinner this past week. We ended up going to a Mexican restaurant in town, which worked out because apparently they had been looking for a good Mexican place since they moved. We found out that they are about the same age as us, about a year younger than both of us. We had genuinely good conversations and I enjoyed getting to know them. Let me just say that meeting and getting to know new people is not my strong suit, so I was very thankful to have Cason by my side to ask the right questions and keep the conversation rolling when I was certain that an awkward silence was about to strike. Come to find out, the husband is here for training this year, but he will be stationed in Texas only 30 minutes from Baylor next year. I know that there’s no way to tell what direction this newfound friendship will take, but I think it’s amazing that God would have us meet through Craigslist and be sending us to similar places at similar times.
Not only did Cason’s social skills and love of people bless another couple as well as myself this week, but it also got me to thinking about the way we view business transactions and business as a whole in this country. I was thinking that perhaps if business was less focused on the almighty dollar and more focused on the people behind the cash, then maybe we would find ourselves living in a place filled with more blessings. Perhaps this is idealistic, but I just can’t help but think that our businesses should be more about providing quality services and goods with excellent customer service as opposed as simply a way to make more and more money. Certainly this attitude of service partnered with business gave birth to social entrepreneurship, which is something I could definitely get on board with. Just food for thought.
In closing, I just wanted to say again how thankful and blessed I am to have a wonderful boyfriend who truly sees the value of meaningful relationships. I am thankful that God has blessed Cason with this uncanny ability to have a genuine conversation with everyone he meets.
a thousand new paths 