It's simple enough and can take many forms. A simple "thank you." Holding the door open for someone. Leaving a respectable tip. Smiling and greeting the people we pass on the street. Listening to folks when they speak to us.
I can't say I always succeed in fulfilling this adage, but I like it. And, I believe it's good to recognize when we see others living it.
Which brings me to Delton, FedEx customer service representative extraordinaire.
It's tempting before I go further, to relay our recent experience at the FedEx Shipping Center on 32nd St. or the USPS branch in the Westin Convention Center on Liberty Ave. I'll not do that.
I've not previously experienced hearing someone virtually sing "Welcome, I'll be right with you" upon entering a business. Sure, I've been WELCOMED TO MOE'S!!!! But, to be honest, that usually comes off as robotic or scares the shit out of me depending on the source. Delton, though. That guy can welcome a person to his store.
I browsed the pens and calendars for a couple minutes while Denise waited at the counter for Delton to finish with the customer he was helping in the back. I glanced back at him and was convinced the FedEx Office and Print Shop on Penn Ave is powered exclusively on Delton's "I honestly want to be here, right here, doing this because it's amaaaaaaaaazing" smile. It's the smile gracing the face of the father of a newborn babe. The smile of a lottery winner. Of a champion. I couldn't wait to watch him help Denise mail her letter.
Delton's approach to the front counter reminded me of Henry, our mini golden doodle, just released from his leash in an open field. "How can I help YOU today?!" he asked. And, for all my natural cynicism, I knew he meant it. I felt like the Grinch looking down on Whoville on Christmas morning. "Fahoo Fores Dahoo Dores," indeed. My heart grew three sizes.
Delton literally danced as he informed Denise of her various options for sending the letter. Seriously. He danced.
He carefully typed, then double checked the receiving address and asked Denise to do the same. He squarely placed the label. He took care in precisely folding the flap and peeling off the sealing strip. This letter mattered as much to him as it did to her.
I looked at Delton's name tag and saw that it proudly proclaimed he'd been with FedEx since 1998.
Twenty years.
At a FedEx counter.
Because he likes it.
You can fake enjoying something for five minutes. You can't fake it for 20 years.
I saw the store is hiring and briefly considered asking for an application before Denise and I floated out the door. On our way here we'd discussed dinner out, and now, there was no doubt. What kind of person doesn't celebrate happy hour after encountering Delton. Our server could have thrown our food at us and it wouldn't have dampened the mood.
Perhaps you are a person who is turned off by fake joyfulness. The Eeyores of the world pretending to be Tiggers are more than annoying. I'm right there with you. But, Delton...that guy is the genuine article.
Consciously or not, Delton is a standard bearer of Denise's maxim. He left us better than he found us, and I am grateful.
I've wondered aloud lately what it looks like to have a place that felt like home. I've observed that home isn't necessarily a place, but, the people and experiences we share on our journey.
Yesterday at FedEx, it was both. The place and the people. I can't explain it, but, because Delton wanted to be there, so did we. I'll never mail or ship anything from any place else if it's in my control.
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