It was the kind of day that makes you want to crawl home and under the covers.
I had gotten a not-so-hot grade on an AP Gov quiz, left all of my books in my room, spilled coffee multiple times, filled my planner with more homework than I could possibly hope to accomplish in an evening and to top it all off, a six-hour shift at work.
Nothing at the café was much better. Customers were rude, impatient and flustered. Orders were botched and tempers ran high. I got sassed, harassed and generally disrespected at the register.
When the dinner rush was over, I got out my broom and vacuum and began the arduous nightly task of cleaning out the booths. I pulled out tables, swept out crumbs and vacuumed every booth but one.
In the single occupied booth, a middle-aged couple sat talking intently over coffee cups. I skirted around their booth with a polite smile, inwardly sighing because I’d had to come back and clean it later.
Suddenly, the husband glanced up at me and put his mug down. “Baby,” he said, “Are we in your way? Can we move for you?”
I was speechless. After a day of harsh words and hard work, the kind offer and endearing term was almost enough to make me cry. I protested, but the couple picked up and relocated to the opposite corner of the dining room.
I kept thinking about the encounter long after the two had left, and the rest of my night definitely had a more optimistic feel. That man was under no obligation to be so kind to me. As a customer, he had the right to occupy the booth until we closed.
However, the man saw no reason not to go out of his way to make my night run a little more smoothly.
It doesn’t take very much effort to do something for someone, regardless of who they are. It could be as simple as making their daily tasks easier if they work in food service, or calling them if they missed a day of school to see how they feel, or giving them a ride, even if you do have somewhere to be.
I feel like we don’t see this enough. People are generally good, but we become so caught up in the hustle and bustle of the activities and routines of our daily lives that the thought of kindness often slips our minds, no matter how often we’ve heard this message before.
Simple kindness is never simple.
It brightens a day, it makes someone smile, and no matter how much we cringe at the “simple kindness” cliché, the act itself really never loses its meaning.
Make someone’s day today.
