Kindness Has Its Rewards

The Split Second-In Consideration of Others in These Trying Times

I wonder if I become too negative when I discuss my book, The Split Second:  In Consideration of Others or Look Up from the Phone and How to Deal with Rudeness in Others. In this blog, I would like to discuss how exemplifying kindness can have kindness given in return in great quantities.

I am concluding my stay at a hotel close to Disneyland. I have stayed here several times over the last ten years. I would like to think that I am kind to the wonderful people who work in the restaurant (I happen to get breakfast “on the house”). I have a fun time sitting at the bars of two restaurants where I am now recognized, “Nice to see you back, Mr. Blake.” The key word here is kindness and the key thought process is to remember these folks who serve me are human beings. They are not “below me.” They are anything but sub-human. They are kind people who are trying to make a living and do so in the world of customer service. I do not mean to boast here as I certainly do not see myself as morally superior or superior in any way whatsoever. The secret (or the key) is to have fun with these people. Tipping them quite nicely helps, too. But when a waiter, manager, or bartender remembers me and earnestly calls me, “Mr. Blake,” with joy in her/his eyes, it feels good. I discuss in The Split Second how “you can attract more flies with honey than you can with vinegar,” and that certainly applies to all the people we give our business to in this life: waiters/waitresses, shop clerks, bartenders, or anyone else who provides service for us. Being kind to these folks will almost always be a better path to take than looking down upon them. Here’s a huge tip that I have found is almost always true: on cruises or at resorts, make nice with the bartenders. They will take great care of you.

There! That blog was short in comparison with my others.