Chain Reaction

Do you know what a difference just a tiny bit of thoughtfulness from a stranger can make? It's uncanny that the simple act of a Starbucks drive-through attendant can make me take a breath and smile just a little bit more deeply. But it can.

I mean, seriously - I didn't ask why they couldn't give me their special deal on a latte + coffee cake with the pumpkin spice flavor. And I was very nice about paying five-and-a-half instead of three-and-a-half dollars for my special, once-a-semester treat. But the fact that when I pulled up to pay he took the time and courtesy to explain that they couldn't include pumpkin spice in the deal because they add a "sauce" to the coffee - not just a "syrup" - made me feel like a real person and not just the 167th car that had already been through the drive-through this morning.

So I passed it on, with a few smiles and "good morning"s as I walked passed other students on my way to class. This isn't that abnormal for me this semester at school, but it was a little more conscious this morning. And I chatted with my seat mates who I don't "really" know - really heard how they were. I took the time to actually see a few people, as I had been seen for just a moment. Little things, really.

But the little things can start a chain reaction.