John P. Schulz: Find The Living Room

Quotes and Notes #328, September 28

when you do a good job, accept praise with a “thank you.”

“Gracious acceptance is an art—an art which most never bother to cultivate. We think that we have to learn how to give, but we forget about accepting things, which can be much harder than giving. Accepting another person’s gift is allowing him to express his feelings for you.”—Alexander McCall Smith, “Love Over Scotland”—

In 1960, the minimum wage was fifty cents an hour and I had a new job bagging groceries at the Piggly Wiggly. I was making money. I was useful. I learned how to sort and stack the groceries to perfection—bread on top in one bag, eggs on top in another, and divide up the number of cans to distribute weight.

That was a long time ago but I still remember the nice lady with grey hair and a ’52 Dodge. I rolled a cart full of purchases out for her and stacked them neatly in the spacious trunk, bracing them so that they would not fall over. That was when I received my first tip.

She held out a shiny dime. That was substantial at the time.
“I can’t take that,” I said, “I was just doing my job.”
She firmly replied, “You will take it. I want you to always remember that if someone gives you something it is two-fold. The gift is to make you feel good as well as to make the giver feel good.” She pressed the dime into my hand. I didn’t know what to say or do.

“Now, just say ‘thank you,’” she said to me. That’s all that is necessary. And remember that the same thing goes with a compliment as with a gift.”

I meet people now and then who perhaps should have run into the grey-haired lady with the ’52 Dodge. Are you one of them? Anyway, there’s my story. Pass it on.

And when someone shares a smile with you today, it makes them feel good
Everything is going to be all right
John P. Schulz—“Sweetie Drives on Chemo Days.”