Perspective Exercise

 A Simple Compliment 

My perspective 

I make my way through the front doors of Hoco hoping that there isn’t an extremely long line like there always is at the middle of the day. To my luck there was only one person ordering as I was walking up to the line. “Thank God” I thought to myself with a sigh of relief. I do not have the patience or desire to wait in a Dunkin donuts line in the bustling Hoco lobby. Like every time I go to get a coffee–it doesn't matter what shop it is–I expect the ordeal to be easy and breezy, in and out. The hardest part is not stumbling over my coffee order that I, for some reason, have yet to perfect. I approach the counter and wait for the person in front of me to finish ordering, taking this time to think about what I want. I make eye contact with the employee at the register, give a quick friendly smile, look up at the menu pretending I'm reading it, then happen to make eye contact with the cashier again, this time I see her quickly look down at my shoes. Is there something on my shoes? Why did she take a double take when I walked up to the line? I start to panic and question if I should abort the situation but I have committed to the iced caramel latte I'm about to get and I'm sure I am simply overthinking this. Freaking out over the most tiny, insignificant details is something I am very good at. As I am chanting my coffee order in my head over and over again to ensure a smooth delivery, it is now my turn to order. “Hi I'd like an iced caramel latte pls” “Sure! I like your outfit by the way!” In the millisecond that followed after her compliment a wave of alleviation came over me. She was only staring at me because she liked my outfit! This is a good thing Abby! Relax! Why are you sweating?! “Oh thanks!” I replied. I paid for my coffee and walked over to the waiting area. I only end up waiting for two minutes but the whole time I stare down at my phone, trying and failing to distract my scattered thoughts from this very brief and very harmless encounter. I end up accidentally grabbing the wrong iced coffee but not realizing it until 15 minutes later. Talking myself down as I walk out of Hoco I mutter under my breath behind the comforting veil of my facemask; No, the girl did not give you a weird look after giving you the compliment. No, the girl wasn’t lying or messing with you. No, you didn’t obnoxiously inflect your voice when you said thank you to the point of embarrassment. This was a good thing. It's always lovely to receive a compliment from a stranger, to receive a little act of kindness.

Cashier’s perspective

I started my shift under the very strong feeling of malaise so per usual I made a rush to wake myself up and chugged it–perks of working in a coffee place I suppose. The downfall of working in this particular Dunkins was that it was the only Dunkin Donuts on campus and the closest one within miles, so it was always the busiest between the classes, the time when everyone would stop by Dunks to get something on their way to class or coming from it. I appreciate these ebbs throughout the day. A moment to breathe between the intervals of chaos when it gets extremely crowded. I take these times to do some people-watching while I take orders. During one of these lulls a tall girl had walked in line. Her outfit instantly catches my attention. She has on a navy blue windbreaker and beige jeans that are cut and frayed at the end with gray Chuck Taylors. As I take the order of the girl in front of her I go back and forth over whether I should say something or not. Do I wait till she orders her coffee first? Or should I tell her before she walks up? No. Wait, yes. Yes I should say something. It's always a nice thing to get a compliment on your outfit. Okay she’s walking up to the counter now. Don’t back out now. “Hi I’d like an iced caramel latte, please.” “Sure anything else” “No that’ll be it.” “Okay your order is $4.36..btw I like your outfit!” “Oh thanks!” she says with a lilt of pleasant surprise. I said your welcome as I handed her the receipt and was glad that I didn’t back out of it. I wish I had asked her where she got that windbreaker from though, that was really cute.