I was at a toy store with my child,
looking for Tomicas to add to our growing garage.
A young man, probably in his late twenties, approached me.
“Excuse me, Sir… did you happen to teach college back in the 2010s?”
I smiled. “Yes, I did.”
His face lit up.
“Sir! Long time no see!”
He told me he now works at a large company.
Stable career. Doing well.
Building a good life.
Then he said something that stopped me.
“You were one of the few teachers who made me believe I could actually make it.”
For a second, the toy shelves disappeared.
Wow.
So something I said back then,
in between attendance sheets, deadlines, and lectures,
took root.
Sometimes life gives you moments like that.
Reminders that the work you once thought was ordinary
was quietly shaping someone else’s trajectory.
The salary may not have built wealth.
But the influence built something far more enduring.
You do not always see the fruit of your effort right away.
Sometimes it grows out of sight.
Sometimes it walks up to you years later
and says thank you.
And sometimes, it finds you
while you are buying Tomicas for yourself.
I mean… for your child.