I was driving home and debating the relative merits of Taco Bell, which while appropriately controversial in terms of whether it counts as “Mexican,” still manages to warm my heart and tummy. I remembered one particular Taco Bell location close to me that always seemed to have a friendly woman and great service.
Upon ordering, I heard the same kind voice coming through the speaker. When I pulled up to the drive-thru window, I said to the cashier, “I want to let you know that I chose this location because I remembered that you are often here and that you are nice.” We laughed a little, both agreeing about how “nice” makes a big difference. She introduced me to her colleague, who had actually been the one to take my order. My response—“there are two of you! At the same location!”
As she gave my total, it seemed slightly lower than I had thought. She said, “I gave you my ‘nice person discount.’” Sure enough, the receipt said “senior discount.” The gesture made me smile all the way home.
It had only taken a sentence, just one sentence of showing gratitude, that resulted in a friendly encounter that left us all smiling and even kept a little bit of money in my pocket.
I wish I could say I do that every day. If I can go one extra step in a way that leaves ripples for everyone, why wouldn’t I do it all the time?
The thing is, I noticed something about myself. When I am busy, and I don’t have enough margin, I am less nice. I am not mean; I simply don’t take the extra minute that could bring warm fuzzies to everyone.
I always walk the line of wanting to be super-productive and change the world, while ensuring that I have enough time to enjoy life and the people I love.
What I really want to do though, is also make sure that I leave just a little bit of margin for the little bit of time, and the little bit of courage, that it takes to start a kindness ripple.