I waited for the last minute to do my taxes and as I headed into to the tax office I was reminded of the saying, "The only things certain in life are death and taxes." But what happen when those things collide together?
As luck would have it, my tax agent was a acquaintance. We discussed small talk and she relayed to me how she has been doing taxes for over twenty years. She loved her job and didn't mind the extra hours that came with tax season. In some ways if felt more like home at times then her real home. Around her office she had plenty of personal items that gave it a lived in and comfortable feel. Pictures surrounding the desk, plants aplenty with favorite coffee mugs and comfortable chairs.
The only setback, she relayed, was that over the years some of her clients had been slowly passing away. Sure, there were always new clients to take their place, but it always left a gap with the passing of a client you have had for decades. Many times members of the family would come in bearing the news. Wives or children of the deceased would appear, express their gratitude for her services and inform her of how the deceased enjoyed coming in. They would all sit, hug, cry for a bit and soon off they would go perhaps never to be seen again.
As I listened to her sharing, I felt strangely surprised. I was pretty sure no one was going to come and do the same for me when I passed into the great beyond. Who knew the tax office could be such a place for human compassion and connection. I had worked in a coffee shop for years and part of our job there was to connect with others. Over the years, thankfully, we only had to deal with the passing of one our customers. It was a pretty bummed out day for all of us and word got around quickly and we reached out to console the customers family.
They mentioned how much our customer Bernie loved coming in for his drink and how it was the highlight of the day for him. The connection we built with him over the years left a lasting impression on the family and they said they were gracious for our concern and support. We kept a note about Bernie on our board for a month and everyday it was impossible not to walk by and see it and remember that he would never be coming in for his drink again.
It reminded me of a couple of local bars I had been to in the last year. One of the bars had a plaque installed on the counter right above the first stool when you walk into to order a drink. On the plaque it mentioned the customer who was an elderly gentlemen who had been a regular customer for over thirty years. Apparently the regular lived directly next door and would stop by everyday for a beer and connect and make an impression on all of those he talked to.
All connections and all in unlikely places. But I suppose that is being slightly unfair. As we live our lives and go throughout our day we run into people. People we know, people we don't, people we want to know and people we try to avoid. But no matter how you slice it, whatever you do in a day, the majority of us are going to run into other people at some point. There is going to be a connection, it could be in the bank, the grocery store, the tax office, the DMV, the disco and even the people we virtually we run into during our daily lives online.
What we do with those interactions are up to us. I am sure there are plenty of tax offices that are impersonal and efficient and probably would never hear if one of their clients passed. And yet when I think of my friend story, it makes me want to connect more. I think sometimes we hide behind titles, jobs, buildings and our wall of busyness.
So I guess there are three things certain in life: Taxes, death, and our interactions with others. Only one of those can be altered by our conscious decision and attitude. Choose wisely.
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