After I published my last post, I realized that I wanted to share both extreme sides of me. If you read Controversial, you'll see that I'm very opinionated when it comes to certain topics. I limited that post to three, because I felt those three were the most important for me to discuss at this time. Another extreme attribute I have is kindness. I'm probably the most humble person I know ;) I'm kidding, I just know that I've been told that I'm a nice person. When thinking about posting this, I thought about how doing kind things makes me feel. That's when I decided that I was an extremist when it comes to giving. I can't think of a better joy (other than being in love) than giving people things. Whether it be time, money, gifts, or even a smile, I find true joy in making other people's days. Now don't get me wrong, I can be a brat too. I just find that I enjoy paying it forward.
One story I want to share about this is something that happened at my place of employment. I work at a restaurant that serves an American version of Italian food, and the atmosphere is just like family. (Any wild guesses as to where I work? ;)) It was the week of Valentine's Day, the Tuesday before I believe. I had a pretty decent shift and one of my last tables was enjoying their meal. I got along quite well with this table, and they loved my red hair...so I could do no wrong. It came time to pay, so I swiped the card as usual. To my dismay, the card declined. My first thought, "Oh no. That's so awkward, I like this couple too much to tell them they don't have enough money for this." I felt really bad because, like I said, they were pretty cool. So, I got my courage in check and went to explain the card had declined. The man seemed embarrassed and confused, so he proceeded to check his bank account on his phone. The couple was married, so the girl couldn't just get up and bail thankfully ;) Anyway, as he was waiting for his phone to load, I had a strong urge to take the bill myself. I had made decent money in tips that night, so what's a small portion going to hurt? I told them without hesitation that I would take care of the check. I handed him his card and told them I would go grab the mints. They were taken back that I would offer to do so, but they weren't shy about showing their gratitude. I was pleased I had the ability to take care of their bill without having to worry about cheating any systems or getting a manager to take something off. That night I went home feeling accomplished because I had done something that made someone's day. Now, I don't like to share things that I did that are nice unless I feel like it's beneficial. I'm not a "woe is me" type of person. This story is not quite over.
The week progressed and I only told my parents about my kind deed. I was satisfied in knowing I had helped the lovely couple out, and that was good enough. That week was a little challenging for personal reasons, but Valentine's Day made up for it. At the restaurant I work at, Valentine's Day is one of the busiest days of the year. What better way to say "I love you" than a 1,500 calorie meal and breadsticks? ;) So, the night was hectic. People everywhere. The busiest part of my shift, or so it seemed, one of the hosts came back and handed me a plate of cookies that had a card labeled "Allison The Redhead :)" wrapped to it. At first I thought I had some sort of secret admirer, so my thoughts began racking my brain as to who it could be. Who called me a redhead along with my name? The two don't usually go hand in hand. Was there someone in my singles ward that liked me? Maybe it was someone from high school? Did they say Allison the redhead because they knew there were more than one Allison/Alyson at the restaurant? What was happening? These questions kept dancing around when it finally hit me. It was the couple. That lovely couple that gave me the opportunity to do something nice. I won't lie, I was a little sad to find out I didn't have some secret admirer. I waited to open the card until the shift was over. I opened it to find some money and a note. The money was way more than the check, and the note basically made me cry. The husband had been doing everything he could that day to make his wife's Valentine's Day special because she was going out of town for the weekend. He had taken her various places and spaced to check how much he was spending. Then when they left the restaurant, he realized he was only a dollar short to pay the check. He expressed his gratitude that I was so willing to do something like that. What I viewed as an opportunity to serve, he viewed it as a tender mercy. To this day, that same note and money remain in my desk. I don't know what I'm going to do with the money. I want to use it to pay it forward somehow.
So, even though from my last post I sound harsh and cruel, I can be a nice person too. This story is just one I like to use because there are good people in this world who will let us nice ones know they appreciate our kindness. Sometimes the beauty of the world goes full circle. I wish I could find that couple and tell them how they've impacted me to do something kind each week. I would thank them for giving me hope in humanity, but alas, a blog dedicated to them will have to do. Thanks for reading!
-Allison S. De Arton
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