I had been out all afternoon, and was returning from a Scrabble game with my darling Mamacita, when I decided to stop in at the pharmacy to pick up a parcel. Of course, the twenty minutes I had decided to be out walking Vimy, was when Canada Post had tried to deliver said parcel to me, and since it was now forty eight hours later, I HAD to go pick up the parcel there.
Vimy was with me in the car. I hated leaving him, but I didn't want to double back. So I lowered all my car windows a bit and left him inside Jiminy, hoping he wouldn't bark TOO much. Vimy that is, NOT Jiminy.
I entered the pharmacy and proceeded towards the postal counter. To my great dismay, there was a HUGE line-up... at least SIX people. Hey, in Atlantic Canada, half a dozen people lined up qualifies as a major obstacle!
From where I had joined the queue, I could see clear to Jiminy in the parking lot, and was already fretting about how much time my pooch would be locked in the car, while I stood in line. I could see that there was some kind of hold-up at the counter. Nothing and no one, was moving. There was this tall student, chatting on his cell phone, but wandering out of the line, ahead of me. I decided to go into pro-ACTIVE mode right then and there, as time was awasting. I proceeded to STEP ONE.
I asked the handsome young man, very nicely, in French, if he was lined up, and if he WAS, he needed to stay in line, and not wander off. "Qui va à la chasse, perd sa place!", I admonished him, but ever so nicely, flashing him a huge smile. The look he gave me was priceless, but he towed THE line, and got back IN line, all the while continuing to chat on his phone.
I then asked the woman in line in front of him, if she knew why there was a holdup at the counter. Obviously NOT a hold-up with a gun, kind of hold-up. She informed me that the the computer had broken down, she thought, adding she had been waiting at least fifteen minutes? It turns out, she just needed a stamp.
Well, I could be PRO-ACTIVE here as well. I immediately proceeded to STEP TWO! I pulled out my wallet, and handed her a stamp. The look on her face was priceless TOO! "Was I sure I wanted to give her a stamp? Could she pay me for it?" were some of her questions. I assured her more than once that "No, I didn't want payment.": "Yes, I wanted her to have the stamp." I am sure that woman thanked me at least THREE times, if not more. I told her that she could repay me by "paying it forward." She handed in her stamped envelope and scampered off happily, with a parting "thank you again."
As for me, I was quasi ecstatic! I was THAT second person with a big smile on my face. Not only because I had made someone happy, but also because there was now one LESS person in line! I was thinking of seeing how I could help the person in line ahead of her, when believe it or not, the line suddenly started moving, and within five minutes, I had picked up my parcel and was on my way. I like to think that the powers that be ABOVE appreciated my small gesture of kindness and decided to fix the technology that hadn't been working.
You know, you will meet three kinds of people in life. "Those who make things happen, those who let things happen, and those who stand around wondering "What the H?%& happened?" I imagine you know where I fall. 😉😉😉
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