why being nice does you good

so there is this local coffee chain in seattle called diva espresso. you have read about it hear before, i am sure. diva espresso is my very favorite coffee shop in all the lands. not only do they serve up delectable beverages, but they have vegan treats there too. so you know that i love them for that. plus, probably the best part of all is that the baristas are generally all very kind. i love that about them, too.

i have been a regular for a long time at one particular diva location, the one that was across the street from my place of work. but then the family i work for moved, and as luck would have it, there is another diva only minutes from their new house! serendipitous, isn't it? now, for the past two weeks, i have been lurking around this new diva, making it known to these new baristas that they have inherited me as a regular customer from here on out.

it is a fairly easy walk, so k-bear and i like to load up on snacks and books and make our merry way to visit diva most mornings, before we have to get back for lunch and nap time. today was no exception. so we go inside, and i order my ususal: iced americano with room for rice milk.

and then, THEN, do you know what the gentleman at the counter said, then? he said: "today, your drink is on me. yesterday a man was in here who was very rude and yelled at us, and it was terrible, and it really bummed me out. but then you two came in [i.e. me and kyra] with your little owl hat [kyra's, not mine ] and you were so nice to me, and it made my day. thank you so much for being nice and turning our day into a good one."

my heart swelled. i had no idea i was even being that nice, you know? i mean, i know i wasn't being not nice, but still. it made me want to punch that person who was so mean. those types happen often in coffee shops when people have not been infused with their caffeine yet, but that is no excuse for being a meany mcmeanerson. i was so happy that i had made someone's day, and that i was getting free coffee, that i didn't even say anything when they handed me a hot americano instead of iced. it didn't even matter. i took it gladly and with a smile said i was sorry to hear that that disgruntled customer was so awful, and that my day is made every time i go there. which is true.

so folks, some lessons to take away:
- be nice to baristas, and you may get free coffee.
- in addition to being nice, carry with you at all times a cute, well-behaved child, preferably with an animal hat. that may make a free coffee more likely, now that i think about it.
- you never know how your own attitude and words will affect another person, either negatively or positively. so keep that in mind.
- form an addiction to something (such as coffee) and pick an establishment that serves that thing. then go to said establishment daily, making it more likely for the employees to even remember that you are nice in the first place. this also ups your chances.