I’ve been griping about work lately. Why not? It’s been rough. It’s gotten rougher and the outlook is for it to get rougher still. But the truth of the matter is that I have little legitimate cause to complain and it took a visit to the local convenience store yesterday to make me realize what a shameless moron I really am. It was an opportunity lost but a lesson I’ll carry with me that, when you get right down to it, how we live our lives is really all about the perspective we chose to take.

I was second in line and the gentleman in front of me was chatting up the cashier who seemed completely confused by his gregarious nature. Among other things, he actually thanked the woman for her smile! And I, purveyor of pleasantness, kindler of kindness, advocate of amiability that I am, actually thought the following thought, “man, that’s over the top… less chatter, let’s pick up the pace.” You don’t need to point out the hypocrisy. The host of a blog on kindness actually thought such thoughts? Yes I did. I hang my head in shame.

Let me further paint the picture that I was in a hurry to get home from another miserable day at work. Let me also point out that I’m paid well, am in reasonably good health, have a great life outside of work and really want for nothing (other than a less stressful job and a less crazy neighbor). I chose to let a bad day make me a less-than-good person that day.

The nice guy in front of me would best be described as rode-hard-and-put-up-wet. He looked like life had dealt him a less than fair hand. He was excessively short of stature, prematurely aged by sun, seemed dangerously thin and relied on a cane to walk. He also lacked good peripheral vision as evidenced by his sudden realization on turning his head slightly that I was waiting beside him for my turn to pay. But when he did notice, an amazing thing happened.

This man, who for all appearances looked like he had legitimate cause to be grumpy, beamed me the warmest smile you’ve ever seen, apologized for holding me up and told me, “I’m just so happy with life I get caught up in the small-talk sometimes.” His face literally lit up and transformed my impression of him from somebody whose life has been full of hard knocks into somebody who makes the world a better place in which to live. I envied the guy his positive spirit. Idiot that I am, all I could think to say in return was, “No worries. Take your time.” A few seconds later he was out of my life and a great opportunity was lost.

This gentleman, in the few minutes he occupied my little sphere of existence, taught me to never judge a book by its cover, find the positive, live for the now, don’t sweat the small stuff and to recognize the people who pass fleetingly through our lives as having worth, merit, dreams and ambitions beyond the context of the moment. In a few seconds, he passed on a wealth of values and lessons and I wasted the opportunity with, “No worries. Take your time,” rather than, “thank you for being such a positive inspiration. Here’s my card. I’ll be writing about you on my blog so that the world will know there’s folks like you out there.”

Should you ever stumble across this post, sir, I give you my thanks. For the lessons, certainly; but mostly just for taking the time to make the world a better place to live for the cashiers and grumpy office workers whose lives you briefly touch and transform. God bless you.