I loved this article from Eat Pray Love author Elizabeth Gilbert in “O” magazine. Reading it took me back to an experience I had at Baskin Robbins many years ago when I was an assistant at William Morris. Like Jay Z, I had 99 Problems. But in my case, having a boss act like a b**ch was one of them.
I was working for a very challenging agent who was mad a lot of the time. In retrospect, she was probably having a few bad days and just took it out on me because I was the easiest target. I can’t remember the details of why I was so burdened this particular night, but I needed a pick-me-up. Most of my assistant friends would go out for drinks and commiserate together. Being a very active Mormon at the time, alcohol was not an option. I felt very alone and so I did the next best thing …
I headed to my favorite ice cream place to eat my troubles away.
Baskin Robbins was my favorite, and my signature treat was a double scoop of Peanut Butter & Chocolate and Pralines & Cream. On this night, two scoops was not going to smoother my pain, so I decided to add a giant scoop of Rocky Road (I think it was a metaphor for my current young adult angst). I got to the counter and ordered three scoops of fat, sugar, and cream without a shred of embarrassment (these were not child scoops; they were big, grown-up scoops to placate my real, grown-up problems).
Two retired Beverly Hills firemen overheard my indulgent order. One of them exclaimed, “Whoa, whoa, that’s a lot!”
I slowly turned toward the men, with eyes full of pure depletion, and sighed, “Yeah, I know. I have to do some emotional eating.”
He asked why and I basically told him about working for a talent agent, the insane demands, and how mean everyone was that day. When I got to the register, the gentleman pulled out a $20 and said, “This one’s on me. Someone needs to be nice to you today.”
He wanted nothing from me. His kindness made my load lighter (unfortunately, my skirt fit a little bit tighter the next day). I was the recipient of kindness from a stranger. It felt so good.
I often think of that man and how that tiny gesture made me feel so much better. It’s amazing how a call to check in with a friend, picking up the tab for dinner, or a small act of service for or from a friend—or even a stranger—can turn your frown upside down.
Has anyone done something really nice for you, completely unprompted? Have you paid it forward? What happened as a result?