HEART OF STEELE

The woman with thin, white hair and shaking hands was in trouble.  
She stood in front of the credit card reader in my lane at a small neighborhood grocery store, index finger frozen over the keypad. Several attempts to enter her Personal Identification Number (PIN) had failed. I could see she didn’t want to fail again.  
This was not the kind of card you could run through as credit. She needed that PIN.  
The queue of customers behind her had grown, and their mood was shifting. People started to do that casual leaning-to-the-side thing you do when you’re trying to find out what’s holding up the line.  
I wanted to give her every opportunity to make her purchase. I also worried that someone would lose their temper and say something to upset her even more.  
Then the woman standing next in line emptied her handbasket onto the belt, pulled out her wallet and said, “You only have a few things. Let’s just put them with mine.” 
She turned to me with a smile, handed me her basket, and said, “Paper bags today, please.” Like she’d just done something people do every day of the week.  
While I rang up the purchase, the women chatted like long lost friends about everything except the groceries. They walked out together. I heard them laughing.  
I thought about that experience while listening to last Tuesday’s Dementia Friends presentation at Trinity Lutheran Church in Owatonna. The presenters talked about how simple actions like that can make our community more friendly for people living with dementia.  
The key, as I saw years ago, is simple: Treat people with patience, kindness, and dignity.  
My customer that day did so much more than help an elder. Everyone in line who witnessed that exchange mentioned what she did and left the store with a smile, some with tears in their eyes.  
We all have it in us to take small actions that make life easier for our neighbors living with dementia and their caregivers. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of speaking calmly and kindly. A simple smile can mean the world to someone who’s having a tough day.  
I think sometimes, we get caught up in the idea that making a difference means donating money or spending countless hours volunteering or doing something big for our community. But the truth is, even the smallest thing you do to help someone have a better day strengthens the heart of Steele County.