New phone, who dis?

My duties as a "phone operator" at my job are held in kind of an overflow capacity - i.e. if others are busy/unavailable, then it's my turn to pick up. So

Yesterday, I took one such phone call in the afternoon. It started out pretty normal, and I answered the phone with my standard greeting: "This is [name of business], how can I help you?"

The gentleman on the other end of the line thanked me for taking his call (usually a red flag for an impending sales pitch), and then abruptly launched into his entire family history. His father got sick and passed away about a year ago. They had mended their relationship some in that time while his dad was still alive, but there are still some unresolved feelings he would like to work through. It's been an especially difficult time...

On and on he went; I couldn't have gotten a word in edgewise if I'd wanted to.

At first, I gave him the benefit of the doubt and waited as I tried to connect the dots between what he was saying and the business... but the dots weren't connecting. Then, I waited for the hook or the punchline - my gut must have been right, and this must be a sales call or a scam? But that wasn't lining up either. I was starting to get rather impatient, and I even contemplated hanging up on him once or twice; whatever this was, it didn't have anything to do with my employer, and it was a busy day. The phone line should be left open for a real call, and I had better things to do than listen to this guy talk my ear off for five or ten minutes.

But I couldn't in good conscience just hang up the line - nor did it feel right to interrupt him, either. I stayed on and patiently listened, and it became apparent that this man had simply dialed the wrong number. He must have been looking for a therapist.

"Anyway," he concluded nervously. "Can you help me...?"

"Um... well, we primarily deal with hearing aids," I explained, not really sure what to say. "I wonder if you maybe have the wrong number."

He laughed. "Oh my - I was going through a list of places I'd found online, and yours must have come up by mistake or something. I am so sorry to have talked for so long. But you know what! In spite of it all, you listened anyway. Didn't even cut me off!"

"Haha, well... I'm happy to help in whatever way I can," I offered.

"You know," he considered thoughtfully, "There is this perception these days that no one cares and that the world is a hostile place. But when you pick up the phone and dial a random number, I think you find that people are friendly and care a lot more about a total stranger than you think. It's funny, because I was looking for someone to listen to me, and even though I called the wrong place, you did just that. Thank you. I'll try the next number on my list!"

"No problem! I hope you find what you're looking for." I wished him a good day, and the line disconnected.

I hung up the phone and shook my head, smiling. Well, that was bizarre. And I didn't think much more of it, until today.

I'm so glad I took that gentleman's call, though. I'm glad I didn't hang up. I couldn't help him - truthfully, I didn't know what to say - but you don't always need to have all the right words. Sometimes, we just need someone to listen to us. I'm glad I got the opportunity to show this man a little glimpse of God's love through my kindness and my patience, and I'm glad I got to hear a piece of his story. In a weird way, his call helped me, too.

-J