6:00 PM on a Sunday night, and I'm stuck at work.
Staring out of that big wall of windows, watching people file out of the pharmacy across the street. Countless cars have driven by, yet only 2 of the 5 hours of my shift have passed. My list of to-do's that don't include serving pizza, folding boxes, and taking orders, is slowly growing. "Well in one hour it'll be seven and then it's basically eight... and once it's eight I can start cleaning up... and then it's nine so... I really only have one hour left!" I start to do the math to determine how many hours until closing.
A ringing fills the store, and I do my habitual crawl towards the phone. "How can I help you?!" I say enthusiastically, as if I had been waiting to hear about this customer's pizza toppings since I woke up that morning (I'll let you in on a secret... I hadn't.). "That'll be ready for you in about fifteen minutes. Could I have a name for the order?" Cindy.
"Okay, Cindy, I hope you tip well," I think to myself before hanging up.
Fifteen minutes and 20 folded pizza boxes later, "order for Cindy please" is requested. I bring her her cheese pizza (with half pepperoni of course) and begin to make routine small talk. I notice her yawn, and use that to my advantage.
"I'm not ready for the weekend to be over and go through another Monday," I say as I count her change.
"Yeah, I had a great weekend. Mondays aren't so bad though! I'm kind of excited."
"Any exciting plans?" I ask, feeling guilty for my previous negativity.
"Just work, but to me that is exciting."
"I'm jealous, I just have school. What do you do?" I say, expecting a response that she is some sort of ice cream taste tester or an undercover cop.
"I'm a lunch lady at the high school! You know, those kids are just the best. I get to go to work every day, meet new people, get to know them, and serve them delicious food. And I get paid for that! Nothing's better," she says, reaching for her pizza and dropping a five in the tip jar.
"You have a great Monday," I say with a smile as the door shuts behind her.
That Sunday evening shift not only rewarded me with an extra five bucks, but also a new perspective.
I've dealt with all sorts of customers; satisfied customers, unsatisfied customers, and customers that just feel like complaining. This was the first time I had met a customer who left a lasting positive impact on me, and I'm incredibly grateful for that.
Her positivity about a job that tends to have negative connotations was refreshing, and it made me see the error of my own ways. Seeing the best in everything and everyone is something that is so admirable, and something I work towards everyday.
Whether I'm writing a lab report, having a bad hair day, or it's 6:00 PM on a Sunday and I'm stuck at work, I always think back to this customer - the happiest lunch lady I'd ever met.
