In a year when so much was taken and sacrificed, I realized I had little control over changes to routines and normalcy. Although I had every right to feel cheated and put upon for myself and my loved ones (including the loss of a dear family member to COVID), I also had a choice as to how I approached the pandemic: my attitude.
I could get sucked into the negativity, resistance, complaining and social media hysteria regarding rights and freedoms (even if I wasn’t a scientist or politician), or I could make a conscious decision to do something a little bit more positive and helpful to survive the crisis.
One small act of kindness I consistently performed throughout the ordeal was leaving an extra generous tip whenever possible. I noticed that the number of morning customers at the Mohawk Trail Greenfield Dunkin’ Donuts seriously dropped because of no in-store dining combined with social distancing, mask wearing, and people working remotely (or not at all).
But the dedicated customer service staff was still expected to serve the coffee, bag the donuts, and make the breakfast sandwiches, so I’ve been dropping some extra cash into the tip cup during visits.
Same with the pizza places. No inside dining but the pizza still had to be made for takeout so I made sure I had extra cash in my wallet for the tip jar upon pickup. And on those special occasions when we got takeout from a local restaurant, I was sure to add to the 20% on the tip line as a gesture of support.
It didn’t have to be only about the money either. Early on, I noticed the Zombie-like state of many of us as we hurried through the supermarket with our masks, following the arrows, standing on our marks, and trying not to breathe. So I went out of my way to crack a joke to an unsuspecting fellow shopper or give the diligent employee an appreciative hello to keep it real — and human.
For me, maintaining my humanity during our isolated times has been a good way to keep it hopeful and positive. Remembering to smile (underneath the mask) and laugh reminded me that I was alive — and still me.
No charge for the tip!
Wid Perry is a resident of Greenfield.