I think it's safe to say that we have all used the phrase “made my day” at least once in our lifetimes. I also believe it is safe to say that the reason this phrase is used is usually because of something someone else did.
I worked as a crew member at Taco Johns for six months last year. One night during a long shift of working the drive thru, a women came through and ordered a small number six with a Pepsi. When she came up to the window to pay, she told me she wanted to pay for the order of the person behind her. I stopped for a second and asked her if she was sure, and we both smiled at each other. I thought that was such a sweet gesture. I gave her her food and then told her the total of the order she offered to pay for. It was a simple order—three softer tacos and a small order of potato oles with a side of cheese. She paid for it and drove off to continue her night. When the young man next in line pulled up to the window, he had his cash out and ready to go.
I had never been in that kind of situation before so I rested my elbows on the window frame and said, “Um, well you see, the woman who was just before you actually paid for your order already." He responded, “Oh….O-OK…” and slowly pulled his money back into the car. He asked me if I knew why she did that but we were both clueless. When I handed the food to him, he and his girlfriend (who was in the passenger seat) were laughing with confusion. I told them to have a great night and they both smiled and told me that they already have, thanks to me and the kind stranger in front of them in the queue.
I am currently a shoes salesperson at Herbergers, and sometimes it can be hard to put on a smile when people get mad at me when certain coupons do not work on their purchases. One day, during a shift, I was ringing up a woman’s shoes and noticed that they were not excluded from any coupons we had, so I scanned a few to see which one would save her more money. I explained my process to her, and she had the biggest smile on her face. She told me I was awesome and that I had just made her day, just for making her shoes just a tad cheaper! Every now and then, I also get compliments about my people skills and my day always gets better when I hear people say they appreciate my help.
I don’t think we all realize how big the little things really are. When someone says, “Hey, this made me think of you,” or when a stranger opens a door for you, it could really change the course of someone’s entire day.
I once read a story about a boy walking home from school and seeing another younger boy being teased by bullies. The poor boy was carrying all of his school books in his hands which were all knocked to the ground by the bullies. The older boy witnessing this ran up and helped the younger boy with his stuff, and eventually invited him over to play video games. Throughout their high school years together, the two became best friends. At their graduation commencement, the younger boy was selected to give a speech. In his speech, the boy talks about how one day a few years prior, he was so done with feeling lonely and being picked on that he had made a plan to end his life. He emptied out his locker that day so his family wouldn't have to, and walked home with all of his stuff only to be picked on by bullies about how big of a nerd he was for carrying all of his books home.
He then went on to explain how a complete stranger came up and helped him clean up the mess left behind by the bullies, and how he became best friends with that stranger. The small gesture of helping someone pick up something they dropped or standing up for them when they are being picked on may seem small to you, but it could mean the world to the person on the receiving end.
Even little gestures in a relationship can go a long way. For example, your significant other is almost done in the shower so you take his or her towel to the dryer for five minutes—that way, it’s nice and warm when he or she comes out of the shower. That would probably make me cry.
It’s weird to me that little things like that are called little. I mean sure, making a towel super warm for someone getting out of the shower isn't a proposal or anything, but it can still be a much bigger deal to that person than one may think. This can also include the opposite reaction. We need to remember that the phrase “ruined my day” exists as well.
A person who gets excited over the little things may also get upset for small reasons as well. When telling someone you love them, “love you” and “I love you” can mean completely different things. Having a fight with someone close to you is never fun at all, and if you’re anything like me, you find it difficult to get rid of the negative feelings that come with a fight, even if everything is taken care of. Telling someone in this scenario to “Just be done” or “let it go” or even to “not think about it” can’t really help because those three or four words make up such little effort. Those little sentences may seem little but can also convince you have also feelings for them.
It’s the little things.