A few days ago we were really, REALLY slow and I was running out of things to "keep myself busy", just when I was getting ready to give in to the temptation of taking a break and sitting down, in walks this scraggly looking stranger, who looks like he is down on his luck. He walks in the door and I greet him with a cheery, " Hi how are you doing today?" He smiles right back at me and says, "I'm doing grreeaaat! How are you?" Since it is not often that I am asked that question I was delighted in telling him that I was doing "pretty darn good!"
When I asked him what I could get him he just asked me if we had any food that we were about to throw out. By this time I had pretty much guessed that he was someone who didn't have enough money to buy his own food, but I could tell that he really did not like to be asking for something to eat. Since it is against our work policy to hand out free food (even if it is about to expire we HAVE to throw it away) I looked at him and said, as nice as I could, that I was really sorry but we had nothing for him. While all this was going on we had another customer walk in (he was a regular and I actually knew him pretty well) and he watched the whole thing.
The down-trodden stranger picked up his raggedy bag, thanked me and walked out with a smile on his face. The other customer looked at me and then suddenly ran outside, he grabbed the stranger and led him back in the store. He bought the stranger a nice hot meal and something to drink then he sat down and started up a conversation with him over lunch. I stood there pretty much stunned at what had just happened!After a while of conversation between the two I learned, that he was indeed someone who was really down on his luck and he was headed to his brothers house in mesa.
Not once did he ever ask for money, they just sat there and talked like they were old friends! Finally it was time for them to leave, the one guy pulls out his wallet and hands the stranger a twenty dollar bill. After trying to give it back without success he looked up at this guy with tears in his eyes and says, "Thank you so much! No one has ever shown me this much kindness, what can I possibly do to ever repay you?"
All the other guy said was, "When you run into money never forget to help those who are in need. Instead of trying to repay the kindness to me, pass it along to someone else who really needs it!"
By this time I am trying to fight the tears coming on, but I fail miserably!! I was so touched by the kindness and generosity that I had just seen! Working in fast food I very rarely see this simple act of kindness, people are too busy to notice the people who are less fortunate than them. so the morale of my story is this:
Next time you have a little extra luck, why not share it with someone who is low on theirs?
