The other morning I thought I would stop in at the local donut shop and pick up a large coffee to drop off to my wife Julie at work. The lady ordering before me was still talking on her cell phone when it came time to place her order.

With a cheerful tone the young lady behind the counter asked, “May I take your order?” The lady replied, while still on her cell phone, “Give me a chocolate donut.” “Anything else?” “Yeah, give me a sprinkle donut.”

Suddenly the ‘please and thank you’ song from Barney the dinosaur started playing in my head. My sons loved Barney when they were younger. Julie and I were not so fond of him.

When it was time for me to place my order I made sure the lady on the cell phone would learn some proper etiquette. I replied, “Thank you so much for asking, I would like a large coffee please.” The employee smiled and said, “Sure.”

Next time you are in line try sharing a kind word and a smile with the person serving you. You never know what they are going through and how a kind word or a smile could be just what they need to make it through another day.

 

-Please note the names and identifying details of the donuts have been changed to protect their privacy.