Shaterrica...

Sometimes you have to wonder if the universe really does put you in the right place at the right time..... or if everyone is always in the right place at the right time and just not paying enough attention to make a difference.

I was in one of the shops in town today..... looking around at books, looking for things that I could re-sell in my space at the antique shop......not really finding much of anything, but taking my time and just looking.

What I did find was a pair of black Capris for myself that I needed to try on.  I wear Capris for most of the year, except when we have stupid cold snaps that disturb the warm weather.... and I'm always looking for a classic Capri that doesn't have crazy embellishments on them.

That particular store has just one dressing room, so you have to wait your turn to try on clothing. I thought the dressing room was empty because the door was ajar, but when I opened it, I saw a few dresses on the hook and a pair of jeans and sneakers tossed onto the chair.  Clearly, someone had been trying clothes on and then stepped out to get something else.  I didn't want to take someone's 'turn' away from them, so I just waited outside the door.

Within seconds, a young girl walked back towards the dressing room with a dress in her hand....... I asked her if she was the one using the dressing room and she said yes.... that she had gone back to the rack to look for 'something that would fit.'  I told her to take her time.... I'd look around the store again while she was using the room.

I don't know exactly how many dresses she tried, but when I walked back to the dressing room to see if she was finished, she had just come out of the little room and she was walking towards the long mirror.... she had on a beautiful black and white dress... a silky fabric with white flowers near the top of the dress and the same flowers along the hem.  That young girl stood in front of the mirror and twirled in that dress and the smile on her face just broke your heart...... she was as happy as anyone I've ever seen..... the dress fit her..... it looked beautiful on her, and she looked beautiful in it..... and at that very moment, she was in love with that dress and she knew how pretty she looked.

She saw me watching her twirl in front of the mirror..... and I just had to tell her how beautiful she looked. "That is the perfect dress for you!"  I told her that all she needed was a pair of black shoes, and she could add a pretty necklace that was short enough not to cover the flowers at the bodice of the dress. "What color necklace should I get?" she wanted to know.   I told her that since the dress was black and white, she could pick just about any color..... she said her favorite color was pink, and I told her that a pink necklace would be perfect. She asked me if black flats would be okay... she said she couldn't wear heels.  "Black flats would be just fine," I told her.  And she smiled.... she just smiled and looked beautiful and she twirled in front of the mirror again.

The girl went back into the dressing room to change into her jeans and sneakers (which had bright pink laces on them!) and I went back to looking at the books while I waited for the dressing room to be free. Shortly after, the girl was at the counter, asking the clerk if they could hold the dress for her.... she would have to wait till her mother got home at three o'clock so she could ask if they could afford that dress.  The lady behind the counter said that they could only hold items for one hour.  Clearly not enough time.... it was 11:00 in the morning when this was happening.

I was near the counter at that time, and I saw all this happening.  The girl couldn't see me because of a tall display shelf, but I could see the deflated look on her face....... she found a dress that fit her, and it was beautiful on her. More than that, it made her feel beautiful, and that was the most important part of that dress.  It made her feel beautiful.  The lady behind the counter was reaching out for the dress, and the girl was holding onto that dress as if it was her entire world.  And who knows... at that moment, for a young girl of her age, maybe it truly was.

I didn't want to embarrass that teenage girl..... but I also knew she did not want to part with that dress, and I was certain it just meant the world to her.   The clerk was asking her for the second time if she wanted to put the dress aside for an hour...... and I told the clerk that it wouldn't be necessary to hold the dress, that the dress was being purchased right then, right now.  The girl looked at me and said "You're buying this dress?"  And I told her  "Yes I am... but I'm not buying it for me.... I'm buying it for you."

And within a blink of a second, the look on that girl's face was the same beautiful expression that had been on her face when she had looked in the mirror and twirled in that pretty dress.  "You would do that for me?" she asked. "Why?"

"Because it's the right thing to do..... that dress is beautiful on you, and you are beautiful in that dress, and you just cannot leave the store without it."  Well, she gave me the biggest hug...... and the biggest thank you, and the biggest smile.   She asked me what my first name was, and she smiled at the spelling of it.  Then I asked her for her name........... "Shaterrica."    Such a beautiful and unique name, for a very beautiful and unique girl.

Sometimes, the universe puts you in just the right place, at just the right time..... and if you're paying attention.... you can change someone's perspective, you can change the way they see themselves, you can change their immediate world in a very small way that may eventually change their life in a very big way.

We all need to pay more attention to the whispers of the universe.