The Joys of Being a Waitress

The Joy of Being a Waitress:
by Babygirl

As a waitress you meet and see all types of people. I guess you could call it the melting pot of the highway because the food connects us all.

I was about to end my shift one afternoon when a group of people came in. As they sat down, they explained that they were trying to make it home and just had enough to buy their children a small snack and that all they needed was water. So I showed them a few things on the menu and asked them what they would like.

As I walked away to turn in their order, I just couldn’t see this family leaving hungry with a snack and some water! So I asked some friends to join me in helping this family and they agreed because they know how I am when it comes to helping others and it gives them the fuzzy feeling of making a difference too.

So I went back to the table and quietly let the parents know that they could order what they wanted because it was taken care of by some strangers. At first, they didn’t know what to say but with a smile and a glance at the menu, they kindly accepted.

When they left all you could see was smiles, and with a tear in my eye, I wished them a safe trip and asked them to stop by if they were ever in the area again.

I learned that with every kind gesture you connect with that person and the emotion it gives flows both ways. I guess you could say they brought me home to my heart that day and every day.

About Help Others.org:
One college student was talking to another slightly older twenty-something guy about pranks that students do for rival football teams. The older guy says, “Isn’t it interesting that students are motivated to do such incredible acts without getting any credit?” Such acts are fun, collective, creative, and incredibly challenging. But typically, they’re not all that constructive nor do they leave anything with a lasting “wow” feeling either. So the question followed –why not do the same with kind acts?

More friends joined in the conversation. Right then, we thought up a game of doing anonymous act of kindness and leaving behind a “smile card” to keep the chain going. Over the next three months, we tested out the concept. And then, we setup this anonymous website and got started.

Starting in September of 2003, smile cards began appearing all around the world. They are markers of a newfangled game of tag, where “you’re it” because someone has done something nice for you. Then it’s your turn to do something nice for someone else and, in the process, pass the card along. This is a game of pay-it-forward: anonymously make someone smile, leave behind a card asking them to keep the ripple going. It’s easy and fun. Is kindness truly contagious? There’s only one way to find out …

(Reprinted with Permission © Copyright 2007 www.helpothers.org)

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