A valuable lesson

My dad always taught me things that have stuck with me. One in particular? The reminder to always thank people that have done a good job, to never leave a compliment unsaid.
Today, I was at Safeway with Kaitlin. I had completed our shopping and just finished checkout. Kaitlin was safely buckled in the seat and I was putting away my groceries in the rain. I had noticed each time I took out a bag, that it was perfectly packed and very nicely placed in our basket. The eggs were where they belonged and the ten pounds of tomatoes I bought were put in a place as not to bruise. It seemed that I had the perfect bagger. To anyone that shops at multiple stores with their child/children understands, having greatly packed groceries is a treasure. Instead of putting my cart back and going on my merry way, I had Kaitlin get out of the car and go back in the store with me. I scouted out the bagger, asked his name (Chris) and thanked him for the excellent job he had performed on my groceries. Now, I'm not sure if he knew I went through some serious rain across the parking lot, or that I don't always go back in a store to thank someone. But, I hope he knows how much I appreciated a seemingly menial task that meant a lot to me.

I challenge all of you to try doing this at least once in the following week. How often do we find a reason to complain about restaurant service, terrible drivers, insufficient customer service? It's nice to work hard not expecting a thank you and receiving one anyway, isn't it? Sometimes you can even get free stuff! I called the toothpaste company one day praising them on their product. It's the only stuff I buy! And what happened? I got FIVE coupons for a free tube of toothpaste in the mail! I didn't call them to ask for free product, but it was really nice to know they appreciated my loyalty. Every company has stacks and stacks and stacks of complaints on file (and sometimes a complaint is necessary) But seriously, people... do we really want to leave that legacy? I am grateful to my father for always remembering the waitress' name, thanking people for their service and complimenting the beauty that surrounds him. What a great example he is to me. Thanks, dad.