She Inspired Me Without Even Knowing It

I believe her name is Mary.

She works the breakfast shift at the Commerce Hardees. I didn't notice her much when she had two arms. I'm not even sure when she lost her left arm. All I know is that one day it dawned on me that this woman had incredible will!

Mary works the drive thru, and you can see it in her face; grit, determination, and an undeniable sense of pride. She is easily in her early fifties. And as an African American, Mary has seen her part of injustice and the reparations thereof. Without even knowing her, she emanates a history...it's all etched in her countenance.

She's never been one for a bunch of chit-chat at the window, well at least not with me. She just does her work and does it quiet well. Polite and efficient, she does her job: gets her customers through without a dreadfully long wait.

About a month ago, I pulled up to the window to pay for my order,and I noticed Mary's dangling left sleeve. It was one of those rare times I had to wait longer than a minute for my order. I sat there watching Mary work. She not only ran the register at the window, she filled the orders for fries, cokes, etc. She even bagged the orders. She did EVERYTHING everyone else did, except she did it with one arm. I tried to think back to when she possibly lost her arm. Then I remembered....

One day will sitting in the drive thru, I noticed a paper taped to the serving window that was basically a thank you from Mary. I could gather that she had been either sick or had surgery and a collection had been taken up for her. Not only had her co-workers given, but the customers had given as well.

Hmmmm...I didn't recall ever seeing a collection basket or a note posted asking for donations, but perhaps I was stuck in my own self consumed world to the point that such a thing as that was just so petty that my eyes overlooked it.

So, Mary had lost her arm either through injury or illness, but here she was at work. I literally marveled.

I watched as she took an order from the drive thru, and as she pressed the button on the receiver attached to her belt, it pulled the headset slightly back off her head. She continued with the order over the intercom, then took my debit card, and tried to reposition her headset.

I so desperately wanted someone in there to push Mary's headset back up on her head the way it was supposed to be! I had an urge to point to one of the co-workers and then point to Mary's sliding headset. I felt a great sense of pity for her, but I saw no pity for herself on her own face. The faces of her co-workers were just like her's; resolute. They weren't going to step in and help. I knew right away, she had established her independence on the job, and she could handle every aspect of her duties.

What left me truly amazed was that Mary was working. Afterall, she could get disability. She didn't have to get up at 4 AM and open up the doors at 5 AM for the mad rush of Hardees biscuit lovers. There are times the line is all the way out to the highway, yet Mary keeps up. Pffft....most people would say no to that shift anyway. But here was a clearly disabled, yet not disadvantaged, woman who was willing to work instead of stay at home.

Folks, there are alot of applications here. You could talk political, moral, or spiritual. I just sat there that day thinking about the work ethic that had to be at the core of a woman that would continue to work after losing an arm. Perhaps she had to work...she may not have had a choice. Maybe she didn't believe in drawing a check if she wasn't completely disabled. There are folks like that, you know.

All I know is Mary inspired me. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going. Even if the easier way looks better, keep going.

She finally got her headset back on her head straight, then she handed me my order. I just looked at her, blinked a few times, said thank you, and drove off. I've had her on my mind ever since.

If Mary can bag biscuits, ring up money and count it back with one arm, what am I capable of? It's no contest, it's just that someone with such a hinderance performs as if there is no hinderance at all.