Pretzels Say "Thanks"

     From time to time it's nice to show some unsolicited appreciation for those who serve our community.  It's been awhile since I've done that, so I figured it might be just the right act for today.  

     As I was doing a few errands, I swung by the Philadelphia Hot Pretzel store on Main Street in Moorestown this afternoon and picked up 20 pretzels - fresh out of the oven.  They smelled so good in my car that it was hard for me not to sneak at least one of them (I didn't!) for myself.  Instead, I drove them over to the Moorestown police station and brought them inside.  A woman sitting behind a glass window asked if she could help me, and when I explained what I had brought for the officers, she came out to get the pretzels.  She thanked me for my kindness and I was off with little fanfare.  I never told them my name and I didn't leave a card or note of any sort.  This was just a simple, quiet, "thank you."  No attention.  No fuss.

     Surprising people with small tokens of appreciation has become one of my more favorite acts this year.  It doesn't cost much (sometimes it doesn't cost anything), but the impact is big.  Just think of how you'd feel to be the recipient of an unexpected gift or note of thanks.  Yeah, that's why it's worth doing.

Expressing Thanks

     Well, I had a great plan in mind for today in Rome, but I never had the opportunity to do it.  We spent the day doing a Segway tour of the city, and by the time we had finished the tour and a late lunch, we needed to make our way back to where we were to meet the bus that would take us back to the port and our ship.  In fact, we had to practically run through the unbelievably crowded streets, hoping that the bus wouldn’t leave without us.  There was no time to stop and do m planned act of kindness – so I’ll keep it in mind for tomorrow or the next day.

     Truth be told, getting onto the Segway tour wasn’t easy.  They only offered tours at 9:30 and 2:30, neither of which would work with our transportation to and from the port.  Rather than give up, we talked to the Executive Concierge (Carmen) on board our ship to see if she could reach out to the Segway company and convince them to make a special tour for us at 11:00.  To make a long story short, Carmen was able to make it happen and she even printed walking directions to help get us from the bus drop off point to where we needed to meet the tour guide.

     It ended up being an awesome tour, notwithstanding the sprint to make the bus for the return trip.  When we got back onboard, I made a point to go back to Carmen to thank her and to give her feedback for future guests.  She seemed genuinely thrilled to hear all about it and appreciated my taking the time to fill her in.  She said that she had been thinking of us during the day and was eager to know what happened.

     This incident reminded me of a conversation I had with my sister earlier this week.  She was describing a situation in which she had given a significant amount of time to a neighbor assisting him with an important issue.  The person never showed even the slightest gesture of thanks or appreciation.  It’s such a simple thing and yet makes such a difference.  I’m glad I took the time to thank and acknowledge Carmen for her efforts on our behalf.  I do think it made a difference for her.