I was awakened by the tap on the driver’s side window of my Karman Ghia. My recovery nap was officially over. I looked toward the window. It was Johnny, one of the school’s cool guys. I was not a part of that group, so I was surprised to see him there.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Uh, yeah, just tired,” I replied…or something like that. The experience occurred about 53 years ago, so my memory of the exact words may be off. I do, however, remember exactly his response.
“OK, good. …just a concerned fellow student,” he said. He moved on without another word and I returned to the nearby building in time for the return to classes.
I had taken a short nap in my car during a break at school. I was exhausted with all the things that comprise the life of a high school junior who had a job, school and related activities to fill the days.
Looking back at that moment through the lens of how the world appears today magnifies two important elements to that brief encounter.
- Show concern for others, even if they aren’t part of your own group
- Checking in can be as simple as “Are you okay?”
The interaction didn’t change anything in the social structure of the junior class. I did not become part of the cool group and Johnny did not become my best friend. None of the dynamics changed. He simply was checking on a fellow classmate.
We seem to have forgotten about those lessons in today’s world. We can show concern for others, no matter where they fit (or don’t) in our own little world, and it can often be as easy as having the courage to ask, “Are you okay?” of our loved ones, colleagues, friends or a stranger we encounter. I wonder if in this screen-gazing, selfie-taking world, are we even paying attention to those around us enough to notice that perhaps the question should be asked.
I did not feel that he was trying to “Get up all in my business,” and that can be a danger when checking in on others, which is what makes the simple, three-word question so powerful. It is not an intrusion, it is not being nosey, it is not about becoming a freelance counselor…it is simply a sign of genuine concern.
Genuine concern for others. We could use more of that nowadays.