Good Deeds

Doing and recording my acts of kindness has made me realize a few important things. One of which has to do with growing up. Even so often I'll find myself doing, saying, or not doing something that I did normally as a child. I'll stop myself and suddenly think of the impact my action has had on another person, or myself. Things we do without even thinking about can seem small, but have a profound impact on someone else. With each person we see throughout the day, we should ask ourselves: "what kind of impact did I have on that person?" I happened to be thinking about this when my grandparents took me and my brother out for dinner this weekend. Having already ordered my food, I reflected on how I treated our server. Of course I remembered using the common courtesies of "please and thank you" but I noticed I hadn't even looked at the waitress. I decided that when she came back to deliver our meals, I would try to be more mindful of how I treated her. I really tried to be as pleasant as I could, and thought I noticed a difference in how she was acting. I'm not sure if it was just the fact that I was paying more attention to her, or if I did brighten her mood a little. After eating dessert, my grandpa wanted to go for coffee, so we walked down the street while my grandma stayed and waited for the bill. When we got back my grandma had told me that our waitress had payed for mine and my brother's dessert. After looking for her to thank her unsuccessfully, I wondered if just the way I acted really had that much of a ripple effect that she decided to go out of her way to do something really nice, or (since I guessed she was close to my brother and I's age) if she thought I was hitting on her. Either way, my family and I left happier, and I hope I made her day just a little bit better as well.