Thank You For Being Nice to Me When You Had Every Right Not to!

That's what one of the waitresses from the restaurant told me after she had given my order by mistake to another car and had me wait an extra 15 minutes over the half-hour I was waiting for before. It struck me how someone's choice of action can affect someone's day and life, in the most beautiful way possible.

It was 10 pm, the restaurant was crowded with cars outside ordering, due to covid regulations. There were 4 employees only outside taking orders, and this waitress was one of them. It was a hectic time for them; it was the end of the day, cars honking from all sides of the street, everyone wanting their orders to be taken, and received as well in time. Of course, I noticed all of that and put in my mind that for sure my order would take some time so I decided to watch a video that I didn’t have the time for before while waiting for my order.

She then came up to me after half an hour telling me that she was sorry she had mixed the orders and has given my order to another car. She was frightened! I believe she was expecting me to scream and shout, so to protect herself she counteracted immediately by saying how sorry she was for her mistake and that she will get a new order in, which will take 15 minutes, while waiting for my "expected" reaction based on her perspective and previous experiences with other customers. I was shocked as a first reaction, but then again there wasn't much she could do at that moment, and I really wanted that salad as I was craving it. So I told her ok I'll wait for 15 minutes but not more than that! The waitress thanked me right away and apologized once again for her mistake.

At first, I was furious and angry “how can she make such a mistake, they're not professional enough at their work, how can they mix it up...etc” all of this blaming and hate was coming first to my mind. But then I honestly remembered to look at the issue from her own perspective. She was juggling much more than a regular waiter can handle; she was taking orders, one car at a time, and delivering it to them as well, she was checking the orders inside and made sure she had them in the system, she was following orders that have also been put from the different online applications. Honestly, it's so much to handle, and I did sense that overwhelming feeling coming from her. When I took into consideration all of that, wow what a difference it made for me! It made me calm and more understanding, in a way that made me feel empathy for her.

After 15 minutes when my order was ready she brought it to my car and the first thing she said to me was “Thank you so much ma'am for being nice to me when you had every right not to be, it made my day, I appreciate it”. She then took the money, thanked me again, and left to continue her job. Even though she was thanking me, I was thanking her for reminding me that we are our actions, and at that small moment in time it was a reminder of how important it is to think before we act.

I think there were so many lessons in this story that we can remind ourselves once in a while:

1) Don't say anything you might regret later:

I was furious and mad about the order at first, but if I did say what I was feeling for that split second, I would have probably regretted it, and as result would have made someone's day miserable. so please think before you speak

2) You never know the value of your actions can mean to others:

Me not acting on my anger has made another person feel appreciated, validated, and simply happy to continue what they do. Imagine this being the ripple effect; you never know what perspective has been changed or shifted for this person, her belief in humanity, her belief in kindness, and so much more.

3) Be kind when you can, it's an act you will never regret!

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#kindness #compassion #empathy #humanity #motivation #inspiration #peace #world #be_the_change #kind #lesson #life_lesson