Kindness & Appreciation

Pass It On®

In the spirit of PassItOn.com, here’s a story about what can happen when you share a little kindness and appreciation.

But first, a little back story.

Knowing it'd be a great educational piece for our boys, I bought two large wall maps (World & U.S.) at Costco over 3 years ago.

A photo of the world map I bought at Costco.

I even found a blog post from somuchtomake.com on how to "Mount and Hang Large Maps..." using a large sheet of insulfoam found at Home Depot.

That internet tab has been open on my phone for years.

I know. That would drive some people nuts.

We move a lot so I didn't hang anything on the walls for a few years. Consequently, those maps remained rolled up and either under the bed or in the closet. But oh! The vision I had for them!

Finally, on August 11, 2020, I worked out a sketch on how I'd need to cut the 4 ft x 8 ft sheet of insulfoam in order to fit & mount the two maps. 

I’m so visual. I’ve gotta draw out how my two maps will fit on an 8 foot x 4 foot sheet of Insulfoam.

I then zipped over to Home Depot to make this vision come true! I was a little nervous because I was driving a small car and prayed there would be someone there who could cut the large sheet down to size for me.

After a couple of failed attempts for some help, I flagged down a man who was bringing a flatbed cart to the front of the store.

I asked if he knew where the large sheets of insulfoam were and he said he'd lead me there and load it onto the cart for me. I also asked if there was someone available that could cut the sheet. I explained my project, holding out my sketch. He took a glance at it and said, "I'll cut it for you." (Happy dance!!)

I gotta say that I feel my nifty sketch made it really easy to understand my vision and convinced him to go that extra step.🙋🏻‍♀️🙌

So there I was at the back of the store with this man on his hands and knees carefully measuring with a tape measure & t-square then cutting with his pocket knife. He frequently referenced my sketch to make sure it was spot on and just as I wanted. 

(I guess I could've gotten a more flattering angle...😑 sorry, sir)

I kept telling him how appreciative I was of his time and willingness to help. I also mentioned he was an answer to prayer. 

He spent a good 10 minutes making sure the cuts were square and smooth. 

Did I mention that I came in an hour before closing? Yet his demeanor was calm and unhurried. 

When he finished I asked, "What's your name? So I can put in a good word for you."

"Oh, just tell them James is really helpful."

Eight days later I finally called and spoke to the manager. 

"Hi! I just wanna call and brag on one of your employees," I said.

"Oh! I like calls like this!" She replied.

I proceeded to tell her all about James and his excellent service.

"Oh! I'm happy to hear that!” She said. “We give out Homer Awards to employees who go above and beyond. James is actually working today so I'll make sure he gets his award as well as a $50 bonus."

FIFTY DOLLAR BONUS?!!

I was ecstatic. "I am so STOKED that he's going to get FIFTY DOLLARS! That is awesome!"

Amazing what one little 3-minute phone call can do. Before I called, I didn’t know James would get extra money as a result of my call. And when I stopped him for help that evening, he didn’t know his approximately 15 minutes of service would yield a $50 bonus. 

When people provide great service, let them know. Let their management know. Don’t let your kindness and appreciation stay in your head. Pass it on. It’ll make someone’s day—and they might even get a $50 bonus.😉

- End Notes -

I wish I could’ve been there to see the look on James’ face when his manager presented his award and bonus.

Alas, some things will only live in my imagination.

---

I really was stoked and ecstatic for this outcome, but my selfish side flared up during the phone call and I wanted to say, "What about me? Do I get $50 bucks for taking the time to call about James? I mean, that was pretty awesome what I just did there. Do you give gift cards and awards to super awesome customers???" 😆🤦🏻‍♀️ But I didn't.

---

I also realized I've been completely remiss in taking the time to put in a good word for a postal employee by the name of David. That guy is the cheeriest, kindest, most positive postal worker I've ever come into contact with. I need to see if I can get him some kind of bonus. 

In our garage. One of the finished maps, spray-glued onto the insulfoam and ready to hang on our walls with damage-free Command velcro strips.

I’m pleased this project is finally complete. Everyone enjoys looking at the maps and our boys’ horizons are already broadening as they study the maps and ask questions.

💛

If you enjoyed this story or it gave you good food for thought, consider adding a comment to let me know how it impacted you, big or small.