wednesday, october 17, 2001

The girl at the deli and I have become friends. Her name is Miriam�a beautiful, Biblical name which suits her very well. She has long, thick wavy black hair and huge, dark round eyes complimented by long, full lashes (compared to the skimpy ones I have). She taught me how to say �How are you?� in Egyptian, and I taught her how to say so in Korean and Chinese on our first encounter. The Chinese is a little easier to remember, so she�s accustomed herself to using that greeting instead.

I went down to grab lunch yesterday and it�s always nice to see her friendly face and pleasant smile when I walk in. We exchanged our usual pleasantries while I ordered a hearty Tomato Florentine soup and Honey Mustard chicken salad wrap.

When she rang up my tab at the cash register, she asked me, �Do you like cookies?�

�Yes. I love cookies. I'm notorious for having a sweet tooth,� I confessed quietly.

�Me too,� she said with a smile and then threw in a large freshly baked chocolate chip cookie into my bag--free of charge.

Today, I walked over to the street vendor located at the corner of my office building. He recognizes me as well because if I�m not picking up something from the deli, I�m going to him. He's a thin, short little foreign guy with huge plastic-framed glasses. I can't tell what his ethnicity is from his appearance or his accent. He doesn't appear to be Indian or Hispanic or Middle Eastern. But he's definitely foreign.

�The usual?� he asks as I approach him. �Chicken pita?�

�Everything but the white sauce,� we both say at the same time. I laugh. I�m so predictable.

We talk about the weather and his business as I stand waiting for the chicken to cook. Then a young black man approaches me. He tells me he�s homeless and that all he wants is a soda. �Will you please buy me a soda, miss?�

Before I can respond, it appears Mr. Street Vendor knows this individual. �Buddy, I asked you not to bother my customers. Here. What kind of soda do you want?�

He offers the black man the soda of his choice and after receiving it, he kindly thanks the street vendor and walks off. I am touched by Mr. Street Vendor's generosity and kindness. When my pita is ready, I offer to pay for the soda as well.

�Oh, no, no, no. Don�t worry about it. Here. What would you like to drink? On the house today,� he offers with a smile.

It�s amazing what a simple, nice gesture can do for your spirits. What goes around truly does come around. Extend a little generosity and kindness in the things you do and say, and it�s returned in many ways and forms.

Maybe some people find such acts insignificant and meaningless, but it's little things like this that make me happy.

rewind � � forward

Copyright � 2001 Rachel Young