I work at a fast food restaurant that closes at 10 o' clock.
10 o' clock sharp.
I really don't like it if people even come in after 9:30, so this evening when I heard the shrill sound of the door go off at 9:45 I was less than amused. I grumpily made my way to the counter and was preparing my best glare for the unsuspecting victim at the counter.
The first thing that came to my mind when I saw the character standing there was..."Luigi".
You know that little guy in Mario games? He wears a bright green shirt and overalls. Real adorable.
Anyway, the man standing there looked disturbingly like this video game personality. He exhibited a worn green t shirt with a picture of the Virgin Mary on the front, a red baseball cap, and a giant pair overalls that probably could have fit two of him in them.
I'm not kidding.
The kind of overalls that you see old farmers wear. However, they were spotlessly clean and he was wearing them with pride. As I got to the counter, he grinned at me.
Now, its hard for me to describe his face to you. It was a kind face. He had giant dark brown eyes that seemed to be smiling to match his grin. He had dark brown hair. A neatly trimmed beard. Straight teeth.
From the start, he baffled me. I tried to guess how old he was...and I still couldn't tell you. He was solidly built with broad shoulders and strong arms that gave him a youthful look. However, as he examined our menu his eyes crinkled up which aged him incredibly. I knew he wasn't terribly old, but he could have been thirty five or twenty one for all I knew.
I have a staring problem.
Finally he turned to me and exclaimed "I've never been here before! Can you help me?"
Being the outstanding employee that I am, I began rambling off some of the popular choices on our menu and he listened politely and made little comments about each suggestion. I began to like him more and more.
He had me laughing openly by the time he was done ordering. Every sentence that came out of his mouth was quirky and almost boyish. Each remark came without a second to prepare.
He had a low, rumbling laugh.
When I handed him his food, he tipped his hat at me and thanked me.
Then he was gone. Went out the back door, which means he must have walked there. I was sad to see him leave but I had a lot of work to do. As I began straightening up I noticed he had left $4.35 in change sitting on the counter. In fact, it hadn't even moved from where I had set it down.
This isn't the first time people have left change on the counter. It happens a lot, but this was different. My new friend just seemed....free. Not the type to be concerned about leaving five bucks on the counter. He certainly didn't look wealthy, but boy oh boy..was he rich in every other way. He was happy. Blissfully so. Giant overalls and all.
People walk into our lives, sometimes only for a brief amount of time, and fascinate us. I'm not saying I fell madly in love with this stranger or anything, that's not what I mean at all.
(Even though I am a little bit convinced that we might be soulmates.)
Sometimes only a couple of minutes of exposure to these types of people has the power to cure us. He was a breath of fresh air. A bizarre breath of fresh air with an atrocious taste in style, but I think that is why I liked him so much. He didn't care what I thought. He was just going to be himself.
So here is my challenge:
Be that type of person. Have the power to walk into a fast food joint and leave the people there with a smile on their faces. Awe them with your complete and utter freedom.
Conquer them over by causing them to laugh even though they probably don't want to be there.
Hey, they might even blog about you when they get home. :)
10 o' clock sharp.
I really don't like it if people even come in after 9:30, so this evening when I heard the shrill sound of the door go off at 9:45 I was less than amused. I grumpily made my way to the counter and was preparing my best glare for the unsuspecting victim at the counter.
The first thing that came to my mind when I saw the character standing there was..."Luigi".
You know that little guy in Mario games? He wears a bright green shirt and overalls. Real adorable.
Anyway, the man standing there looked disturbingly like this video game personality. He exhibited a worn green t shirt with a picture of the Virgin Mary on the front, a red baseball cap, and a giant pair overalls that probably could have fit two of him in them.
I'm not kidding.
The kind of overalls that you see old farmers wear. However, they were spotlessly clean and he was wearing them with pride. As I got to the counter, he grinned at me.
Now, its hard for me to describe his face to you. It was a kind face. He had giant dark brown eyes that seemed to be smiling to match his grin. He had dark brown hair. A neatly trimmed beard. Straight teeth.
From the start, he baffled me. I tried to guess how old he was...and I still couldn't tell you. He was solidly built with broad shoulders and strong arms that gave him a youthful look. However, as he examined our menu his eyes crinkled up which aged him incredibly. I knew he wasn't terribly old, but he could have been thirty five or twenty one for all I knew.
I have a staring problem.
Finally he turned to me and exclaimed "I've never been here before! Can you help me?"
Being the outstanding employee that I am, I began rambling off some of the popular choices on our menu and he listened politely and made little comments about each suggestion. I began to like him more and more.
He had me laughing openly by the time he was done ordering. Every sentence that came out of his mouth was quirky and almost boyish. Each remark came without a second to prepare.
He had a low, rumbling laugh.
When I handed him his food, he tipped his hat at me and thanked me.
Then he was gone. Went out the back door, which means he must have walked there. I was sad to see him leave but I had a lot of work to do. As I began straightening up I noticed he had left $4.35 in change sitting on the counter. In fact, it hadn't even moved from where I had set it down.
This isn't the first time people have left change on the counter. It happens a lot, but this was different. My new friend just seemed....free. Not the type to be concerned about leaving five bucks on the counter. He certainly didn't look wealthy, but boy oh boy..was he rich in every other way. He was happy. Blissfully so. Giant overalls and all.
People walk into our lives, sometimes only for a brief amount of time, and fascinate us. I'm not saying I fell madly in love with this stranger or anything, that's not what I mean at all.
(Even though I am a little bit convinced that we might be soulmates.)
Sometimes only a couple of minutes of exposure to these types of people has the power to cure us. He was a breath of fresh air. A bizarre breath of fresh air with an atrocious taste in style, but I think that is why I liked him so much. He didn't care what I thought. He was just going to be himself.
So here is my challenge:
Be that type of person. Have the power to walk into a fast food joint and leave the people there with a smile on their faces. Awe them with your complete and utter freedom.
Conquer them over by causing them to laugh even though they probably don't want to be there.
Hey, they might even blog about you when they get home. :)
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