Kindness comes back to you

Most of you are not going to like me.

I am a morning person.
My own sweet Vicki doesn't like me . . . first thing in the morning. She is not a morning person.

I go to bed early and I get up early, and I get up singing - usually something from Marvin Gaye or The Four Seasons. I often dance, too, which Vicki finds especially annoying because I dance whether she joins me or not. Aside from all this, I'm my friendliest and my most creative early in the morning. What I consider my best writing often occurs before Noon.

Almost every morning, on the way to the office, I stop at one specific convenience store. I like this one store because traffic around it is never too bad, and it's on my way which means it's on my right and easy to enter and exit. I stop for coffee. "Slim" - my nickname for the nice guy at the counter - is the skinniest man I've ever seen. He calls me Shake because they used to have a counter where they made chocolate shakes. I was their best customer. Over the years, Slim and I have been known to sing a little Marvin together. Whoa, ah, mercy mercy me, Oh things ain't what they used to be, no no.

Beside the convenience store is an old auto repair shop. Separating the store and the shop is a tall chain-link fence with coiled prison wire all along the top of the fence. That fence would do any prison proud.

Back in February, I noticed a man working outside every morning at the auto repair shop. He was always outside working under a hood, early in the morning, and always by himself. I often parked near that fence out of the way of those pumping gas. This particular February morning, I got out of my car and shouted through the fence, "Good morning!"

He didn't move. So, like every aggravating Morning Person, I shouted again and a little louder, "Good morning!" This time, he jerked out from under the hood, looked around confused, and noticed me. With wrench in hand, he gave me a head nod.

It became a ritual of sorts. Each morning I pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car. Through the fence I saw this man, and I shouted "Good morning!" Over a few weeks, he was no longer surprised. His head nod became a shout back, "Good morning!"

One morning, I shouted that my name was Scott. He took a few steps toward me and said, "Juan." I gave him a salute and he gave one back to me.

This morning exchange went on until yesterday. It was Monday. I was tired from driving home late on Sunday night. I stopped at the convenience store. I got out of my car. I saw Juan at work, but he had his back to me and the radio going. I didn't bother him with my greeting. My head hurt. I started across the parking lot.

"Hey," a voice shouted behind me. "Good morning, my amigo!" It made my day.

This is fact. If you are kind, it's going to come back to you. If you love it's going to come back to you. If you offer hope and friendship, it's going to come back to you. Sooner or later, the love you give comes right back to you. The best way to have a friend is to be one.

www.scottdvaughan.com


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