As regular readers of my blog may recall, one of my favorite things to do is to make homemade chocolate chip cookies. It's a tradition that goes way back to my college days. Well, a month or two ago, a friend with whom I play golf was jokingly complaining that I never made cookies for him despite the fact that chocolate chip cookies were one of his favorites. I kept this in mind as a possible act of kindness and today I decided to do it.
I called my friend late this afternoon and asked if he would be home tonight. After hearing that he would be, I baked up a fresh batch of cookies and then brought them by his house after dinner. He was predictably surprised, but pleased, to receive them, and I hung around and chatted with he and his wife (and, of course, ate some cookies!) for awhile. As it turns out, his birthday is coming up in just 2 days, so the cookies can serve as a nice birthday present as well.
I've often found that if you pay attention to what people say, you can find lots of opportunities to surprise them. I'll often make note of their birthdays or things about their kids or other special items they may have mentioned in passing. By listening closely, I get information that I can use to delight them at some future point. It's amazing how often they're surprised that I remembered some little detail they once told me. Paying attention to these details is another way of saying (and showing) you care. And what's more kind than that?
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