When the rents and I stayed in a Country Inn & Suites in Wausau, WI for Buttercup's wedding, the people there were INCREDIBLY kind and went out of their way to make all the guests happy. The front desk man, Luke was his name, was so sweet and couldn't have been more than 19 years old. Even the maids were friendly and courteous! I was stunned.
Most recently, my car broke down (it's from 1996, I'm surprised it's lasted this long) so I had to have it towed. The tow truck guy was very friendly (though he needed a shower and I don't get why he had to wear sunglasses AND a baseball cap on a day that was cloudy. I'm assuming he was either hung-over or stoned, regardless he was very nice). The mechanics were friendly and when I requested a number for a cab to come pick me up, they had a courtesy vehicle to take me wherever I needed to go! The driver was nice, too, and even let me bring my coffee along.
Is most of America this nice? Have I become such a bitch that I just expect everyone else to be a bitch, too? Or did I just spend too much time dealing with people in bigger cities and come to expect rudeness? My God, does my bitchiness automatically make people bitchy with me? No, that can't be it, than it'd be my fault.
At my job (I'm a secretary), I do in all honesty, (have you ever heard someone say I'm going to be truthfully honest? Is there any other kind of honesty? Kind of redundant if you ask me.) try to be nice and polite with the public. With people I know, I'm my usual sarcastic, joking self, obviously just a treat. But when it comes to the public, I often find it hard to be happy with them when they are rude, obnoxious or, more often than, stupid.
I really don't know what it is about stupid people but they drive me nuts. It's not like I'm asking you what about differential equations or how to split an atom, I'm asking you simple questions and when I answer your simple questions in simple monosyllabic words, I expect you to understand. It really irritates me when I have to explain myself four or five different times. Really, you couldn't catch on the first three times I told you the three digit code? Or where to find the camp brochure as I walked you through it step-by-step? I have patience, I'm a mother of an almost 2 year old, I have PLENTY of patience, but I find it infuriating when people don't pay attention or are too stupid to catch on to, what I deem, common sense tasks.
Perhaps it's all this negativity that makes me expect rudeness from others or maybe it's the fact that, more often than not, I get rudeness from others. I don't know but I find that kindness from others is pleasant, surprising and makes me, well, joyous, in almost a Christmas-y way. I find myself wanting to be kind to others and want to spread this strange phenomenon, that strangers can be kind to strangers, to others.
I've heard of this thing, this "pass it forward" and maybe that's what's been going on or maybe it's just that these people are genuinely kind and want to be kind to others for no reason. Regardless, these strangers are making my days, my experiences much more pleasant and making me wonder...is the world actually filled with kindness? Is it becoming less cynical? Is it more Gilmore Girls than Law & Order: SVU?
If yes, sign me up although I reserve the right to remain skeptic. This isn't afer-all Stars Hallow or Mayberry, this is America, home of the brave, righteous, stubborn, always-right, pessimistic, suspicious and scornful. Meanwhile, I will cherish the few moments of random acts of kindness and try to pass them on.
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