Many years ago, when I was in college, I worked in a candy store. It wasn’t just any candy store — it was a higher-end shop that catered to the wealthy.
My own family could never have afforded to shop there, so in a way, it felt like a treat just to work behind the counter. My manager was wonderful, and overall, it was a fun job.
One day, though, I was stressed about paying my rent and couldn’t quite put on the “I’m fine” face. I had been kicked out of the house at 18, like every other kid of a Boomer parent. I’ve always had an expressive face, and one customer noticed.
He was dressed in a nice wool coat and shopping for holiday gifts. He placed his stack of candy boxes in front of me at the register, clearly picking up on my stress.
Most customers would have ignored it, but instead, he said: “Don’t worry, it’s just money. Money comes and goes.”
While that wisdom truly is brilliant — and I’ve remembered it for almost 30 years — it was not the right thing to say to a struggling college student.
I forced a smile, agreed with him, and rang up his order. (This was before scanning guns, so I had…