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By Courtney Fox Taylor I know you've been to the McDonald's drive-thru in town. There's a lane on the left that says "DRIVE THRU" and, unless you are an avid reader of things like books and signs and asphalt, you might stay in the right hand lane, thinking you were in a drive-thru in America. That's what one guy did a few years ago. I was in the left hand, drive-thru lane, and he was in a white truck in the right. When the line moved forward, I moved forward into the ordering area. This guy thought I cut him off. I rolled down my window to start ordering and this guy started yelling at the top of his lungs, hanging out the window so the person on the other end couldn't hear me. "She cut me off! Stupid *#@(&! Don't take her order! She took my spot!" he yelled. I stopped and waited. I didn't cut him off, as you can see from my diagram (Exhibit A). He was in the wrong lane. I started to order again and he started yelling again. I looked in my rearview mirror at him. He was about my age, mid-thirties at the time, his face was red, his brow furrowed, and was he gesturing to me in a less than creative way. The lady inside McDonald's asked, "What's going on out there?" "This guy thinks I cut him off," I said. Then he started yelling again and I just pulled forward and ordered at the window. While I sat there, waiting for my change, I thought about what a horrible day this man must be having. I pictured him getting up early for a construction job, stepping on some Legos with his bare feet on his way to the bathroom, then getting yelled at by his wife after he cried out in pain because he was going to wake the baby. (On a serious note, I think stepping on Legos in your bare feet is a legitimate defense for just about any crime.) He was definitely having a bad day, even if the only reason was some curly haired broad cut him off at McDonald's. I felt bad having contributed so I told the clerk at McDonald's I wanted to pay for his meal. "The guy that was yelling?" she asked. "Yeah. It might put him in a better mood," I said. "Are you sure?" When I told her I was she said, "Okay. His order came to $27.34." Huh? He must have been picking up food for everyone he worked with. I couldn't change my mind now so I pulled out a credit card and paid for his food. I then moved forward and watched as he turned the corner. He pulled out some bills and handed them to the clerk who waved him off and explained what I had done. His face completely changed. The man who had been The Angriest Man in Drive Thru History was stunned. He looked confused, then embarrassed. He raised one hand to me and gave a little wave, mouthing "thank you." I raised my hand back and gave a little wave, took my food and went home. I've thought about that day a few times since it happened. Although I've occasionally paid for the car behind me, no instance left a lasting impression like this one. I don't know if I improved his day, cheered him up, or just confounded him. I like to think the latter. Surprising people in a good way is always fun especially when they least expect it. This guy did not expect me to respond the way I did after he acted the way he did. We have devoted the feature of this month's Our Yucaipa to acts of kindness. There are a lot of amazing, kind people in our town and we share a few of their stories. We also have some ideas of things you can do to spread kindness to those around you. As to this guy in my story, I think it stayed with me because I acted in a way that was contrary to my normal response. Getting yelled at is never a pleasant experience, especially when I was clearly in the drive-thru lane and didn't cut him off (see Exhibit A). I could have gotten out of my car and yelled back, walked him over to where "DRIVE THRU" was painted on the asphalt, drawn him a diagram of where he was and where I was complete with arrows and accurate hair. But that would have made me a yelling monster too, which would have made my day worse and would have probably given me a headache. So perhaps it was a bit selfish, doing an unexpected kindness for him. I felt better about me. In the end, I don't think it really matters why we choose to do the kind thing - as long as we do it. 4 OUR YUCAIPA | APRIL 2015 Being Kind To This Guy

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