Connecting the Dots

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“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” – Steve Jobs

Like the quote for this post, I couldn’t see how all the dots on this story connected until the end. But I know how it started — when I showed up at the school playground Monday afternoon with an envelope full of money.

I’d signed nine-year-old Miss O for Glee Club. Because she’d joined the after school club late, the teacher gave me a pro-rated fee for the activity. She hadn’t included a payment link. So in the spirit of not wanting to make any more work for her, I put $160 in an envelope, sealed it and wrote only the teacher’s name on the front. My plan was to hand it to her when I picked Miss O up after class.

But I had to pick up five-year-old Mr. D at the regular end of the school day. I was talking with other parents when he came over to tell me that two kids weren’t letting a little kid go on the playground. Another parent and I went to investigate. Two boys had a smaller one pinned. As we tried to convince them to let him go, one hit the kid a couple of times and the other kid kicked the smaller kid when he was on the ground. Then they walked away.

We helped the smaller kid get a shoe back on and then as he got up, he started to follow the other boys. I said something to him about letting things cool down but he either didn’t hear, understand, or agree.

I walked back to the other parents. Something caught my eye across the playground. The kids again had the little boy on the ground and were kicking him. Some instinctive thing kicked in and I started running the 100 yards towards where they were yelling, “Stop! Cut it out.”

Let’s be clear – I’m an endurance person, not a running person. If my yelling didn’t scare them, I bet my awkward sprint probably did. One kid let go, the little one got up, and the second kid started chasing him with me running after them both.

Fortunately, the director of the after school program was alerted by my yelling and came over to handle the situation. No doubt that not only he was more qualified but he also had a relationship with the kids. I walked away knowing the situation was in good hands.

But when I got home, I couldn’t find the envelope with the cash. I felt sick about it. However, I rationalized that my adrenaline fueled run across the playground was worth it.

I knew this wasn’t the Glee Club teacher’s problem so I figured out how to Venmo her the money. When I returned to pick up Miss O at the end of the after school class, the teacher said to me, “I got the money.”

Confused, I asked, “The Venmo?” She shook her head and said, “The envelope with the cash.”

A student had found the envelope on the playground and tracked the teacher down to give it to her.

I don’t know how you connect the dots in this story. But for me, it was a God moment. I felt a shiver as I saw in hindsight the hand of something bigger than me drawing the thru line from start to finish.

(featured photo from pexels)

You can find me on Instagram @wynneleon and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wynneleon/

I co-host a storytelling podcast featuring authors and artists with the amazing Vicki Atkinson. To tune in, search for Sharing the Heart of the Matter on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music or Pocketcasts (and subscribe) or click here. Or the YouTube channel features videos of our interviews. Please subscribe!

My other projects include work as a CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer), speaking about creativity and AI through the Chicago Writer’s Association, and my book about my journey to find what fueled my dad’s indelible spark and twinkle can be found on Amazon: Finding My Father’s Faith.

86 thoughts on “Connecting the Dots”

  1. These moments are indeed God moments, or winks as I like to call them. What a frazzled moment you must’ve felt when you realized what happened with the envelope and to then experience the polar opposite emotions. I’m so glad it turned out to be ok.

    Playground bullying is such a pain, we’re experiencing some of it too, and how brazen of the kids to do it within plain sight of adults too! I’m glad you spoke up and intervened. I would’ve kicked one of the kids myself, which is probably why it’s a good thing I’m not a kids care program director. 😂

    Enjoy the rest of your week and may it be less eventful!

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Thank you, Ab! I love how you get exactly what I felt! It’s probably good that I’m not a very fast runner for both me and the kids’ sake since I’m not sure what I would have done if I caught up to them.

      Hope your week back after the break is going well!

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Wow. I guess times really have changed. It costs money to sing in the school glee club?! And small boys pin down even smaller ones and beat him up in front of other kids in an after school program??! Just wow.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Ah yes, two things that need more explanation. The church next door runs an after school program for at-risk kids and they use the school playground. And the choir and band programs that happen during the school day are free — but all the after school enrichment classes like Glee club have a fee.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. “Life can only be understood backwards, but must be lived forwards.” This is a paraphrase of a quote by Kierkegaard, a philosopher ahead of Jobs in grasping this.

    Your story is beautiful, Wynne, one of your best. It leaves us to find our own understanding of the bullies and the child who rescued the money and did the right thing, as you did in your own rescue of the targeted victim of two other boys.

    Liked by 3 people

  4. I think in this case you did the right thing by intervening to help the little boy who was being bullied. And you were rewarded when the person who found your envelope full of cash did the right thing and gave it to the teacher. That’s how I connect the dots in this story. What goes around comes around as the saying goes!

    Liked by 4 people

  7. Great story and it made me smile….indeed, doing good things will lead to good things…God is watching and guiding us to do better and be better. Sometimes we meet the mark. Peace.

    Liked by 2 people

  8. I love Ab’s comment about a God wink…I was thinking the same. So many things to love in every bit of this…doing what’s right…being in the moment. Xo! ❤️

    Liked by 1 person

  9. So much to glean from your post Wynne. One of the warm gut feelings for me was before you knew the money had been handed in and you said, “ I rationalized that my adrenaline fueled run across the playground was worth it.” ♥️

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Excellent quote and now I am seeing how my map works sometimes!

    Bullying is never cool and I am glad you intervened.

    As for the money thing – isn’t it wonderful to see there are honest people out there? Ones willing to go out of their way to do the right thing? I’m assuming the envelope was sealed and they had no idea what they were handing in but I like to think they would have anyway!

    Lovely!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Dale! I love that picked up that detail. The envelope was sealed when it fell. It was open when I got it back — but I presume that was the teacher that opened it to see what was inside. I think you are right, the child who handed it in probably didn’t know. Like you, I like to think they’d have handed it in anyway! Thanks for the great comment! ❤

      Liked by 1 person

  12. You did the right thing with the bully situation. I like how your dots connected. Honest people walk among us, but are easy to overlook when we have to deal with bullies too often.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. So well said, Ally. It is so easy to overlook the good deeds done by others when our attention is so drawn to the bullies. Somehow this reminds me of your runaway stroller story.

      Liked by 1 person

  13. I was with you Wynne, every moment of your story. The conflict with the boys (and the continuation of it) was sad, but very real. And then the lost envelope (that was a lot of money) was gut-wrenching. BUT, the dots connected beautfully. It was almost like a fable were kindness begets kindness. Knowing how this is how it should be, God said “I got you.” 😊

    Liked by 1 person

  14. I’m letting out a sigh just reading this Wynne. I’m so happy for you that the envelope got to where it needed to be. Don’t you love when the dots get magically connected. And yes, good for you going after those bullies. Hate to hear that, but glad you were there!!!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Brian! I do love it when the dots magical connect — and I’m tuned in enough to see them. There’s a PS to the story. The after school program that the fighting kids were in is aimed for at-risk youth and run by the church next door . I heard yesterday that they did a debrief on the situation to try to figure out how to better prevent these situations. Isn’t that cool?

      Liked by 1 person

  15. I love this God moment Wynne. There are so many of them on a daily basis as we go about our business, sometimes barely even understanding the dots.
    Great story! And you can run if you can endure.
    Thanks for sharing! 💕

    Liked by 1 person

  17. Somehow, this story has become part of my own “connecting the dots” today. I woke up thinking about “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and how it relates to my mom’s Alzheimer’s journey right now… how she is reversing her journey—from adult to teen to child to toddler and even to infant at times— and how I, too, as caretaker am reversing my life journey from independent adult to “mother” of my own mom. A whole lot of forwards/backwards contemplation going on as I started my day.

    The very next thing I did was settle into a cup of coffee and read your post because of the Steve Jobs quote that was partially revealed in my email reader. Hmmm….

    Now I’m curious about what other dots I’ll encounter today along those lines. Life is a story and each day a new page. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Ah, I love this comment, Sue. I’m so sorry for your mom’s Alzheimer journey but I love the way you are looking for dots. Your line that “Life is a story and each day a new page. 🙂” is so good! Sending blessings to you.

      Liked by 1 person

  18. She recognised your writing? She was waiting for that exact amount of money from you?
    Or – as we know what secret skills teachers have – she will have known everything, seen everything, and put two and two together and made 160!!!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Ah, I love that conclusion, Pat! 🙂 I was the only one paying that amount since it was prorated and I’d mentioned that I could pay cash if it made it easier for her! 🙂 ❤

      Liked by 1 person

  19. The dots are spread apart and one or two might be in hiding, but they certainly came together to outline something pretty special. The hardest to believe part is that there still are bullies picking on little kids. Maybe that’s the easiest to believe part.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Ah, I love the outline of something pretty special. Exactly, Michael. Yes, the bullying part isn’t easy. The afterschool program those kids were in was for at-risk youth and I know they are trying to tackle the bigger issues. I hope they can and that the dots connect for them as well.

      Liked by 1 person

  21. Oh I love this story, Wynne and I connect the dots simply because YOU were doing the right thing running as a non runner to settle the score and make things right because YOU are kindness at the heart of the matter! Good on you. say.. ha. I love the quote obviously (and used it in my book) but I did get some flack about it from a blogging friend, oddly enough who didn’t like it at all. ❤️

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Cindy! Isn’t that interesting about the quote? Dr. Stein reminds me that it’s based on a Soren Kierkegaard quote. Anyway, I love the way you connect the dots and I can’t imagine anyone not liking it. So funny!

      Liked by 1 person

  23. Character is about doing the right thing, even when nobody is there to see it. I sure would make a big deal out of that situation, even if that child was not in my class. It is the everyday life lessons that often carry the greatest impact.

    Liked by 1 person

  24. Kindness begets kindness! When I encounter a tussle among the children at the bus stop. I often wave my cellphone in the air, and yell “I am calling the police.” This often stops bullying. However, I still do call the cops and ask them to drive by during bus pickup hours, to keep an eye on things. 

    Liked by 1 person

  25. thank you for being the light for the small boy who was being bullied and thank you to the child who was the light for you by being honest and turning your money in. I have zero tolerance for bullying and I know it is a thing as old as time and impossible to eliminate fully, but so important to step in and help whenever we witness it as you did, and also so important to be honest and return something that isn’t ours even if we’d love to keep it, just as that child did. good souls all.

    Liked by 1 person

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  31. I was once the kid on the ground receiving the punches and kicks…and similarly, it was the interference of an adult that saved me from something much worse, I am convinced. So, thank you from all the bully victims everywhere for stepping in instead of just ignoring the problem.

    Liked by 1 person

  32. Wynne, you are such a badass! I’m so impressed that you run towards the ruckus shouting and screaming. Once a mom, always a mom. Well done, and then a good person followed through on your payment. Wow. Life is just too good sometimes, very dotted, and oh my did those rowdy boys allow you a glimpse into the power of leading with your heart. Hugs, C

    Liked by 1 person

  33. Thank you so very much for going out of your way to protect that child!! 💕Infinite hugs to you!! And I’m so glad to hear that the money ended up where it belonged.

    Liked by 1 person

  34. What a wonderful person you are to run after those bullies and protect a small child. What were the other parents doing? I’m glad other children are better and tracked down the teacher to give her the envelope with money. It gives me hope — in comparison to those bullies.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Good question, Elizabeth. I think the kids involved were all part of the after-school program for at risk kids that is run by the church next door to the school and they borrow the playground. So none of their parents were present.

      Thanks for your kind comment, my friend!

      Liked by 1 person

  35. You are awesome, Wynne! I think it’s amazing that you ran, screaming towards the chaos intending to bring it to a halt! You did the right thing. 👏🏼 And then, my faith in humanity has been restored just by reading your post. Good people do exist, and that’s the bottom line here, in addition to your good deed. ❤️

    Liked by 1 person

  36. The great story! So some kids are beating up another kid, and then there’s some other kid who finds the envelope and gives it to the right person.
    The playground is a wild and amazing place! 😁🤯

    Liked by 1 person

  37. Sounds like a typical day in the life of a busy mom, but I’m glad it all worked out. I think there was a bit of Karma happening here and the dots all lined up. It also proves that in spite of the not so nice things in this world, (little boys getting bullied etc.) there is still a lot of good.

    Liked by 1 person

  38. Oh man…. What the heck with those kids? I hope the little one was relatively okay. And, oof. Good for you intervening. Nice to know a child had done the right thing.

    Liked by 1 person

  39. Your story proves that there is much more good than bad in our world, Wynne.
    I can relate to, “I felt a shiver as I saw in hindsight the hand of something bigger than me drawing the thru line from start to finish.”
    Lots of love

    Liked by 1 person

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