I know I am being quite unconventional,
but please indulge me.
November, a month typically known for thankfulness,
are we really?
I AM thankful. Let me start off this way, then I have story that really left a huge impression on me, to the point I feel very compelled to share.
I am very thankful that this feature has been well received.
I am very thankful for the businesses that have shared of their time with me, a complete stranger, just to tell me about themselves and their businesses.
(I wouldn't have answered the door for me, as I don't like talking to strangers!)
The time they shared with me, to me, is not something I take lightly.
They owe me nothing, nada, zip.
When you visit the locally owned, "little guys", do you express your gratitude for the huge step they've taken in just going up against the big guys?
Do you express your gratitude for an awesome experience, wherever you go?
How much of a difference can you make by simple actions, like a smile, a thank you, or just being patient?
Ok, I actually have 2 stories, one may sound silly,
but it was a "Wow" moment for me.
A couple weeks ago, hubby and I had lunch at Los Mariachi's. We are creatures of habit, and usually order the same thing. It's good, why mess with that? :)
The platter I typically get, is really good, but my tostada gets a little soggy from it's counter parts on the plate. This visit, the simplest thing made the biggest of impressions. The cook put a single tortilla chip under the edge of the tostada that is beside it's soggy partner. That tostada didn't get soggy!
It was so simple, and yet, that one little chip made all the difference. I asked the waitress to let whoever did it know that by doing that one little thing, actually made my day, it was simple genius. I don't know that she let him/her know, so when I saw a comment card, I made sure to put it in writing as well.
The kitchen crew rarely, if ever, gets thanked. I'm sure they hear the complaints, but really... the wait staff usually get all the praise. I really hope that person gets the word that it DID make somebody happy. They deserve to know!
Fast forward to this week. Hubby and I went to lunch Friday.
We went to Denny's, and it was crazy busy and packed.
We were told it would be "a few minutes", which, we could tell actually meant a few minutes shy of forever. Nevertheless, we stayed. We watched the flurry of activity, and could tell they were very short handed.
Some of the waitresses looked very worn and unhappy.
I watched one, that looked especially harsh, and hoped that isn't who we would get. 20 minutes later, guess who we had?
Yup, the one I hoped we didn't get. Boy, was I wrong!
She was super friendly, warm, and amazing!
We didn't say anything about the chaotic feel of the day, or the wait. We weren't crabby for having to wait, we were just glad to be seated.
She was super gracious, attentive, and didn't charge for the hot chocolate I added, "because you've been so nice", referring to us both.
I can see why she looked harsh, I can't imagine how many impatient, unkind people she'd taken care of before we ever got there. The line of those waiting didn't slow down at all.
Just by not being impatient, not stating the obvious about the wait (can only imagine how many times she heard that already), she showed her appreciation TO US! Holy smokes, that blew me away! She got tipped very well. It was the only outward way we could show her our appreciation as well.
To go a step further, I emailed our local Denny's and shared with them as well, asking for her to get some kind of recognition, and shared our experience.
How often do we bring our unhappiness to a business's attention?
Oh ya, that would be frequently.
How often do we share to the 'higher ups' how wow'd we were by one of their people? Not enough, and I'm guilty of that myself. I am going to change, especially this month, and actually, the rest of the year.
The "holidays season" , that we pretty much consider the rest of the year, can be a very harried time for those in all fields. Let's slow down and recognize that we're all human, and we all need to be appreciated.
Please look for opportunities to brighten someone's day, especially if they've really done something worth noting.
Go forth, and be thankful!
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