The “grand gesture” gets a lot of play in movies, especially romantic ones, but the less-than-grand gestures are the ones that sustain us. True to the saying “it’s the little things in life,” the smaller gestures are the ones that get us through the day and often help us get up the next day.
Grand gestures usually require lots of thought, preparation, and money, but the small gesture can be carried out on the spot and might even hold more weight. My sister recently bought breakfast for the person ahead of her in line—not really a big deal, but it made the day of the recipient. Cathy had been at a concert the night before, still made it to work by 6 a.m. and with the fun and music still in her, she was moved to pay for the woman’s pre-work meal.
Of course, the woman was shocked and tried to talk Cathy out of it, but my sister explained that doing this small gesture would start her day off right, too. She’s right; it’s a great feeling to cheer someone up. It didn’t cost Cathy too much but started the woman’s day on a positive note.
Sometimes the small gesture is long-term, making it even more appreciated. At winter’s first frost last year, I asked to bring my geranium plants to our office. I knew they would live in the space with the wall of windows there, and they would die otherwise.
The only problem was that I am not in that office every day, and even when I am, I work in another area. The life of my plants was really in the hands of our department clerk Marion, who said she would water and care for them.
Boy, did she work magic! Under Marion’s green thumb, the plants got food and water and had their dead leaves plucked regularly.
When Marion was out for six weeks due to surgery, she left us detailed notes of how to run the department without her. On the list was how to care for my plants. The four plants thrived and came back home blooming and beautiful. My blossoming geraniums are a reminder of Marion’s kindness.
This year at work I have bonded with a woman in the next department over our similar fashion sense. I have known her only a few months, but each morning, Roscio greets me with a happy hello, and we often engage in fashion commentary.
The other day she wore a lovely daisy print dress yellow sweater, and the cutest yellow heels. Yellow is my favorite color, and I just love a yellow shoe, so I gushed over them (of course, who wouldn’t?!) and asked where she got them.
Well, I guess my connection to her yellow shoes really shone through because a couple of days later she said: I have something for you. Then she gave me the shoes (she knew they’d fit me)! They were like-new; she had hardly worn them.
I couldn’t believe it. She insisted I keep them because “you love them,” she said. Well, yes, I do, but I didn’t mean for her to give them to me. I put them on, walked around her department, and her coworkers all told me how great they looked on me. You know who else they look great on? Roscio!
Roscio’s gift made my day, my week. I came home and looked in my closet for the perfect outfit to compliment them and do my fashionable friend Roscio proud. Her gesture felt grand to me. Those shoes will stand as a symbol of the impact small gestures can have.
My mother is the queen of kindness and has cornered the market on her own version of the small gesture. No matter what anyone in the family is needing, wanting or celebrating, my mother has her special way of lifting us up.
Years ago, my daughter was sick, so my mom gave her “Sorry You’re Sick Money.” It wasn’t much but just enough to brighten Shanna’s day and give her something to look forward to while she wasn’t feeling great.
But my mother wasn’t done. Shanna’s sister got “Sorry Your Sister Is Sick Money.” Jenna was happy, and the rest of us got a chuckle. Again, it wasn’t much money but such an unexpected gesture that we still remember it with a smile.
Recently, I paid for the ice cream of the man ahead of me in line at Terry’s when the credit card reader went down. He was baffled when I said to add it to my order but finally gave in and let me pay. As he walked away with his frozen treat, he said, “No one has ever bought me an ice cream in my 64 years.” The $6 added to my bill was a small price to pay for such an impression on him.
Many of us came to realize the importance of everyday matters and the small gestures we missed so deeply during the pandemic lockdown. Despite us all experiencing the same pandemic, we truly do not know what people are going through or struggling with. A free breakfast, some “Just To Cheer You Money” or a fabulous pair of shoes you pass on to someone who loves them could make a huge difference in their day.
The joy such small gestures will bring you is simply a bonus.
Marblehead resident Christine McCarriston is a former local reporter and editor of the Lynn Sunday Post who now works as an English language development coach for the Lynn Public Schools. She is also the author of a children’s book, “Jenna’s Troublesome Tooth.”
