A simple story about thoughtfulness…
By Rajesh Setty on Wed 25 Apr 2007, 10:57 PM – 3 Comments
This is a story (courtesy: Kannan Ayyar of Karna) from my old collection of gems
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. “How much is an ice cream sundae?”
“Fifty cents,” replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it. “How much is a dish of plain ice cream?” he inquired. Some people were now waiting for a table and the waitress was a bit impatient. “Thirty-five cents,” she said brusquely. The little boy again counted the coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and departed. When the waitress came back, she began wiping down the table and then swallowed hard at what she saw. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies – her tip.
“Fifty cents,” replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it. “How much is a dish of plain ice cream?” he inquired. Some people were now waiting for a table and the waitress was a bit impatient. “Thirty-five cents,” she said brusquely. The little boy again counted the coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and departed. When the waitress came back, she began wiping down the table and then swallowed hard at what she saw. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies – her tip.
The story is simple but the lesson we can learn from this is profound.
Have a great Thursday!
Related Articles:- Thoughtfulness 101 – Robert Scoble
- Small acts of thoughtfulness
- Taking thoughtfulness to a new level
- Ways to distinguish yourself #167 – Be thoughtful
Posted in the Main Page category.
If you enjoyed this article, Get Life Beyond Code delivered by email or subscribe using your Feed Reader and RSS
3 Comments so far, Add Yours
Anonymous on May 17th, 2007
Leo on January 8th, 2008
Thankss
Leave a Comment
Anonymous on April 30th, 2007
great insight on tipping.
wish that waitress had realized it when she got impatient on customer…