Small kindnesses
The streaming cold persisted yesterday, so I went out only for some necessary shopping and errands.
First stop, the dry cleaners. An elderly man collecting his clean jacket was unhappy about the way the young lad behind the counter was folding it and attempting to squeeze it into a carrier bag. The young lad was losing patience, the old man was muttering and complaining to anyone who would listen, and the atmosphere was getting increasingly tense.
A middle-aged woman assistant took over. She listened calmly and attentively to the elderly customer's complaints. When he had finished she refolded the jacket to his liking, consulted him on the size of the carrier bag he wanted, and suggested that he put his newspaper in the bag as well, as this would make it easier for him to carry everything. Finally, she asked gently if he was now reassured, and if there was anything else he required. He said, no, he was quite happy now, and thanked her in a shaking voice for her help.
Then, on to the supermarket. The young woman at the check-out desk, whom I had never seen before, cheerfully packed my two bags for me, adjusting the contents so the bags' weight would be as nearly equal as possible. "Hope you feel better soon" she called out, as I went on my way.
First stop, the dry cleaners. An elderly man collecting his clean jacket was unhappy about the way the young lad behind the counter was folding it and attempting to squeeze it into a carrier bag. The young lad was losing patience, the old man was muttering and complaining to anyone who would listen, and the atmosphere was getting increasingly tense.
A middle-aged woman assistant took over. She listened calmly and attentively to the elderly customer's complaints. When he had finished she refolded the jacket to his liking, consulted him on the size of the carrier bag he wanted, and suggested that he put his newspaper in the bag as well, as this would make it easier for him to carry everything. Finally, she asked gently if he was now reassured, and if there was anything else he required. He said, no, he was quite happy now, and thanked her in a shaking voice for her help.
Then, on to the supermarket. The young woman at the check-out desk, whom I had never seen before, cheerfully packed my two bags for me, adjusting the contents so the bags' weight would be as nearly equal as possible. "Hope you feel better soon" she called out, as I went on my way.
posted by Mary at 9:48 am
5 Comments:
I love this.
Kindness is a vastly underrated commodity. I, too, hope you are feeling better very soon!
Simple thoughtfulness blesses those who give and those who receive.
When well described, an ordinary day has so much to tell us. Thanks for this. And yes, I, too, hope you're feeling better.
I like much your text of today. Certain days, everyone seems very nice pleasant. Thank you for your comment. I can look with the eyes, you can look at and dividing what you saw with the keyboard.
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