The Warm Cookie Principle

This weekend we escaped for a quick trip to the beach.  Upon arriving at our hotel we were given warm chocolate chip cookies.  I was genuinely surprised and delighted by this. Apparently, this is nothing new at the Doubletree but I had never experienced it before.  I come from a long line of cookie connoisseurs and I can tell you this was one fabulous cookie.  Plus, it was unexpected and it was free. 

After mulling this over I have come up with what I call The Warm Cookie Principle.  The premise of my principle is that we all treat each other with unexpected kindness every day.  That we offer a smile or a kind word to someone who is rude or treats us poorly.  An unexpected “warm cookie” of sorts with nothing expected in return.

I met a man this weekend who, for whatever reason, has chosen a profession that I believe is generally not in the best interest of others.  Through some conversation with him, however, I found out he was once a Marine.  As I sat listening to his sales pitch, I wondered how an ex-Marine ended up peddling hotel timeshares.  Suffice to say, at the end of his presentation, we weren’t buying what he was selling.  This man who had been friendly at the onset of our visit was now standing and heading abruptly for the door.

Before he had a chance to leave I stood and quickly grasped his hand and shook it.  I looked him squarely in the eye and genuinely thanked him for his service in the Marine Corps.  After our not so pleasant business encounter, he was completely shocked by the gesture.  He looked at me incredulously, nodded slightly then quickly turned and left.  I am not sure how or even if this interaction affected him.

What I know is this: I can control how I treat other people.  I don’t know under what circumstances this man has come to find himself in his position but I refuse to let myself believe that he enjoys what he is doing for a living.  It is my hope that my sincere thank you offered a sense of balance and perspective in his life.  That it was the equivalent of a warm cookie that day.  Free and unexpected. 

Possibly I am naïve.  Or maybe idealistic. But that’s okay; the world needs more idealists if you ask me. You may be thinking there’s a good chance this man is not a nice person and he doesn’t care about the needs of others.  If that is the case, I believe he is in greater need than anyone of a kind gesture, an encouraging word, and a smile because The Warm Cookie Principle works especially well on those who don’t expect it.