Quite often we hear about the dangers of technology and the ills of everyone (an exaggeration) carrying a smartphone. However, yesterday I experienced technology at its best and how a smartphone actually was able to build a bridge and be beneficial.
This is Memorial Day weekend, which used to be called Decoration Day, a time when families would “decorate” the graves of family members. Mom and I have the tradition of going out to the area cemeteries in the Corsica and White Lake areas, and putting flowers on various family members' graves. Yesterday was the day to make our annual trek.
We needed to pick up some new flowers, so on the way out of town we stopped at Walmart to make a couple purchases. Usually, such seasonal items are right out front, but not this time. So, mom and I are walking aisles looking for flowers and not having much luck. I saw a gentleman with the tell-tale blue vest, and I approached him to ask for assistance. “Do you know where I can find flowers for decorating graves?” I asked the man. He turned toward me and said, “Ahhhh….no English.” Then he motioned for me to wait a moment.
I thought maybe he was going to look for someone else to help me, but instead he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He made a few swipes looking for the app that he wanted. Then he poked the appropriate icon and held it up to me. I noticed it said “translator” on the phone. I understood what he was doing. So, I said “Flowers.” The app did its magic and the staff person looked at his phone and said, “Ah yes.” And looked very confident. He motioned for me to follow him.
About that same time another blue vested individual came along. I thought, why not ask this individual. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t completely convinced the first gentleman knew what I was looking for. Which, that first gentleman was already making his way down the aisle in a very confident manner. The second employee I asked just looked at me for a moment and said, “I have no idea, man.” And that was that!
So, I turned and started following the first man I talked to. He was now standing at the head of another aisle and was pointing. As I got closer, a big smile crossed his face, as he continued pointing down the secondary aisle. I looked, and sure enough, there were the flowers we were looking for. I gave him a thumbs up, indicating that was exactly what we were looking for. He looked pleased to have helped. And I said one of the few Spanish words that I know. “Gracias!” The employee’s smile got a little bit bigger, he nodded his head, and then headed back to where he had been working, before I had asked for his assistance.
And there it was…the power of connection through the use of technology. A smartphone was able to build a bridge between the two of us and though our conversation was very limited and not particularly deep, still I believe there was more that was communicated between the two of us than the simple understanding of the word “flowers.”
The lesson for me in that moment, or my hope and prayer, as I left Walmart yesterday, “May I be as creative, thoughtful, and helpful the next time I am having trouble communicating with someone who asks something of me, as this Walmart employee was in helping me.” There are lots of loud voices in our world today making demands and forceful statements. Most often, I believe it is the softer voices and the smiles, and a little creative ingenuity, that are the most helpful, and in the long run, get the most done.
Pastor Keith