During my lunch hour today, I drove up to Lewisburg to pick up a Copy & Print Online order I placed yesterday. Once in the store, I made my way over to the Copy & Print Center where a gentleman and a lady were working with a sales associate to find what looked like business checks (the ones where you tear them out and the stub stays in the binder).

The sales associate was flipping through a binder trying to find what the man was asking/looking for (the associate may have been new, as she ended up having a hard time finding my order, too). After a few minutes of waiting patiently, the man turned told the associate that she could help me first because “my order might take a while.” I asked if he was sure and he said to go right ahead, so I thanked him.

Several minutes later, after finding and paying for my order, I turned to the gentleman and said thanks again. Here’s the kicker… unlike most people who wouldn’t say anything, the man said “you’re welcome — have a nice day.” I followed by saying “thanks, you do the same.” Then, to top it off, he said “have a happy Thanksgiving.” Again, I answered with “thanks, you too” and I walked away with a smile on my face.

Our interaction, probably totaling less than two minutes, was enough to brighten up a rainy, gloomy day. As I was driving back to Selinsgrove, I thought about the gentleman and a book I read earlier this fall titled Just Walk Across the Room. How many opportunities do I have every day to have an impact on people like this man had on me? Dozens? Scores? Hundreds? What am I doing with these opportunities? Am I wasting them, too focused on where I need to be and what I need to do next? Or, am I spending two minutes having a conversation with someone and brightening his/her day?

My goal for the coming week is to be like the man I encountered in Staples.  It’s likely I’ll never know the impact I had on people, but that’s okay; I’ll fulfill the call I’ve been given and let the next person do his/her part.