My Lipstick and the Kind Young Man

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This past Friday Ray dropped me off at a theater to buy tickets to see The Nutcracker with our older daughter and her family during the Christmas holidays. Ray circled the block while I went inside. As usual, I had been busy catching up on this and that in the car. I know this sounds silly; but when I got inside, I found a spot to put on some lipstick before going to the ticket window.

I recently lost the cap to the lipstick that I keep in my purse. So far, this had not been a problem, but when I pulled it out this time–what a mess! The teeth of my comb had gotten inside the tube, mutilating the lipstick and spreading it around enough that my fingers were soon another mess.

The man in front of me in line had asked the ticket clerk for 8 quarters for a parking meter. When my turn came, I said playfully to the young man behind the glass, “He asked for quarters. Could I have a tissue, please?” He kindly slid one through the inch-high space. I asked for advice on affordable seats, and he patiently and kindly helped me.

When the transaction was complete, the nice young man slid another tissue under the glass. When I looked up at him, he made a quick swipe on his cheek bone.

I thanked him, assuming that my mascara had run. I told him that just before I got out of the car, Bethany had told me a very sweet story about her children.

That story had brought sweet tears of joy to my eyes. Still confident that my tissue was for running mascara, I left the window.

Boy, was I wrong! Outside, as I waited for Ray to pick me up, I looked at my reflection in a window. I had two bright streaks of lipstick across my cheek.

Illlustration
Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress. The LOC caption reads: “Estee Lauder, in a vivid print from Yves Saint Laurent, puts today’s face on customer . . .” World Journal Tribune photo by Bill Sauro.

So, here are my take-homes:

  • Many kind people made in the image of God exist in this world.
  • When you lose a lipstick cap, leave that tube at home in the bathroom and put your lidded one in your purse.
  • Put on your lipstick before you leave the car–and use a mirror! 🙂

When I was a girl, I got the magazine, Calling All Girls. A regular feature was called “Boy, was my face red!”  Girls wrote in about embarrassing moments. It’s too bad that I don’t still get that magazine. Boy, was my face literally red! I could have written a dandy story!

So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved,
put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience . . .
Colossians 3:12

 

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2 Comments

  1. Funny story! Did Ray laugh when you got back in the car?

    My how times have changed. Women don’t even mind wearing pajamas to WalMart these days. No way they care enough about their own appearance to put on lip color to go by movie tickets.

  2. Oh my goodness! I’ve done that a time or two. Usually it’s what comes out of my mouth that gets me in trouble, not what goes on it. 😉 When I started looking for the kind ones, my whole world got brighter. Thank you for the encouragement to continue…

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