You are going to meet a lot of people during the course of your life. Some will seem to be more significant in terms of beauty, wealth, influence, intelligence and social status. Others will seem to be less significant. However, one thing you should always remember is that regardless of your own status in society, or the status of others who enter your life, there is no such thing as an insignificant person and every person you meet should be treated as the most important person in your life. For, in fact, each person you encounter is the most important person in your life during the time you are with that person. And what you actually say, or what you do in the presence of that person may mean all the difference in the world to you or to that particular individual. This is one fact of life you should never forget.

To illustrate this lesson, one of my former professors gave us a surprise test one day. I breezed through the quiz until I came to the last one: “What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?” At first I thought this must be some kind of joke. As I looked around I could see that the entire class was stumped and puzzled.  We had seen this lady many times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50's. But apparently none of us had ever thought of stopping by to ask what her name was. We all turned in the test with the last question blank. One of the students then asked the professor if the last question would count.

“Absolutely,” replied the professor. “In your life you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello.”

I’ve never forgotten that lesson. I’ve also never forgotten her name was Dorothy.

Another story I came across recently further demonstrated the lesson that you should always treat people with kindness and respect, regardless of their age or status. In the “old” days when an ice cream sundae cost much less than today, a young boy entered a small coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. “How much is an ice cream sundae?” he asked. “Fifty cents,” replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. “Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?”

By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. “Thirty-five cents,” she brusquely replied. The little boy again counted his coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away.

The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies. You see, the little boy couldn’t have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip. The little boy knew how important it was to always remember people who serve you, and the waitress learned a very important lesson about respect.

Finally, you should never turn down a request for help from someone in distress. The small inconvenience to your own plans may mean everything to the person to whom you reach out. This was demonstrated one night in the 1960's around 11 p.m. when an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rain storm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, even though it was generally unheard of for a white person to help a black person during those conflict-filled times. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxi cab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him.  Seven days went by and a knock came on the man’s door. To his surprise, a giant console TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached. It read: “Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband’s bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others.” Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.

Yes, we will all meet many people during our life. Certainly, most of those encounters will not be turning points in our existence, but you never know how much a small favour, a gentle smile, remembering a person’s name or showing genuine respect may impact on another human being. Always remember that everyone is significant and deserving of your attention, even if all you do is smile and say hello.