Saturday, July 2, 2011

A universal language

It was a busy, steady night.

4th of July Weekend, and that means a lot of people travel.

This account isn't about one customer in particular, rather a re-occurring theme from the night.

For a Holiday weekend mainly celebrated as an American thing, there were sure a lot of foreign travelers tonight.

Some of them can usually speak English, and in my fumbling and friendliness we can still come to an understanding that leaves us both smiling as we part ways.

However tonight on more than one occasion I had the opportunity to host customers who did not speak any English at all.

Fortunately, given the immediate needs that can be met at my location, spoken language is not the only form of communication.

As they walk in, smiling to be friendly and polite, their hurried steps and frantic pace speak a universal language that you'd have to be pretty blind to miss.

As their eyes dart about, they look to me and I kindly point to the corner of our store.

The corner where our bathrooms reside. The following smile, flashed briefly as they turn their back, is one of pure gratitude. Caring for your neighbor in the simplest way.

Next shift is tomorrow morning.