Friday, July 21, 2006

Niceness Goes Around

Today I complemented the worker behind the deli counter when she gave me exactly one pound of sliced turkey, no more and no less. “Wow, right on the nose! You’re good,” I smiled.

The lady beamed.

I wondered if anyone had ever told her she's good at weighing turkey before.

Then she looked at Meredith and asked me if I would like a slice of cheese or a piece of salami for the baby.

Yes, of course! Meredith had happened to be really fussy at the time and I was relieved that she had something to occupy herself for the next five minutes.

I probably wouldn’t have necessarily struck up a conversation with the lady behind the deli counter except that I noticed she looked particularly tired and weary.

This little interchange really touched me. It was rewarding to connect with a stranger and share little kindnesses with each other.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I’ve had the same thoughts and experiences! There’s something very awesome about making someone’s day just by saying something encouraging - even if it seems so small to us. It’s amazing how much this means to people, and how easy it is to do on a regular basis. Thanks for posting this, A.

Linds said...

Being in customer service has raised my awareness of how far a simple "thank you" can go! It's such a good reminder!