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to be on sale. I seriously considered handing the old bat the ten cents in question and telling her to buzz off, but I held my tongue. The cashier asked for help from one coworker who listened to her cabbage question and literally walked away without answering. A second coworker finally managed to ring up the vile vegetable. The penny-pinching cabbage shrew strutted off with a satisfied smirk, seeming happy to have held up the line and delayed the cashier's break. Instead of checking out in my usual daze, I commended the cashier on her preternatural patience. Sadly, she seemed surprised that anyone would notice a job well done, having become accustomed to long lines of indifferent faces interspersed with the occasional cabbage witch. When I complimented her she had the bemused smile of an underdog athlete clenching a trophy in one hand and scratching his head with the other, trying to grasp the idea that he just won the game.

I walked out brooding, wondering how many times I've passed up an opportunity to undo some of the rudeness in the world and vowing to look harder. It's easy to complain about rude people and bemoan the fact that it's almost impossible to change such individuals. However, a few kind words said to someone who needs to hear them go farther than a dissertation on etiquette when it comes to making a difference in the world.

Learn more about this author, Raven Lebeau.
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