What can a dollar buy

My wife and I recently returned from celebrating our thirty year wedding anniversary in Atlantic City. We love AC. It holds a fascination for us -- the ocean, the smell of all the food as you stroll down the boardwalk, and the diversity of the people. Of course, the one group I never see too much of are people from New Jersey. They are all in Vegas. At least that’s what everyone in Vegas said when I asked them where they were from. Don’t get me wrong, I love Vegas and hope to get back soon so I can see people from New Jersey.

Back to the Jersey Shore, on this particular day we finished eating dinner at the Trump Taj Mahal. Before we headed out for our stroll down the boardwalk to enjoy the beautiful evening sunset, we had to make the obligatory bathroom pit stop. I was getting ready to leave the men's room hoping that my wife might actually beat me out and would have to wait on me. On my way to witness this possible miracle, I noticed an elderly gentleman in a sharp looking Trump Taj uniform cleaning the bathroom. His head was down, concentrating on his work, keeping the place very clean. Now let me clarify, he was not an attendant. No cologne was offered or a towel or the uncomfortable stare waiting for you to finish. He was just the man cleaning the toilets. As I passed him, my hand went to my wallet and I pulled out a dollar. I thanked him for the great job he was doing. He looked at me with surprise that I was tipping him. A huge smile crossed his face as he thanked me many times for the dollar. It was not the amount of the tip, but the acknowledgement that what he was doing had worth.

Out I walked and, of course, no wife. A moment later she appeared. A side note - to this day I still get great joy watching my wife walk into a room. It makes me feel giddy. Off we went past the slot machines and out the door. We walked a little ways and realized I needed to take my medication. We stopped by a pizza place, one of the many on the boardwalk, to buy a soda so I could take my pill. I stepped to a section of the counter and asked the pretty young girl if I could get a soda. She was working very hard making the pizzas and was not the cashier, my mistake. I should have stepped inside and asked the right person; not the young girl who looked frazzled by how busy she was making the pizza. She asked, “Just a soda bottle?” in a slight Russian accent. I said, “Yes, please.” She stopped what she was doing and got the soda for me. “Three dollars,” she said. I gave her the money and she quickly turned back to the task of cooking when I said, “this is for you.” I handed her a dollar. She paused for a second with a surprised look on her face, smiled at us, raised the dollar high in the air, and walked away.

At the end of the evening after splitting the creamiest brownie topped with vanilla ice cream, caramel and strawberries at a great restaurant called Meghan's Place, we started back down the boardwalk. As we were walking back, a homeless man approached us and asked if we could spare some change. I didn’t ask what it was for, presuming it would go to a bottle of liquor. I handed him a dollar in change. “God bless you, sir. It’s just that I'm hungry,” and he was. I watched him go to one of the food stands to get something to eat and thought at least tonight he will not be hungry.

What did my dollar buy; it bought me three moments of joy.

It made me forget about my problems for those moments. Understandably, people with problems sometimes get a narrow perspective and focus on ourselves, but it’s a big world and I won’t let PD take away my ability to show kindness and be mindful of others. We tend to get caught up in our own lives and forget there are others out there who might be going through their own trials and tribulations. Simple every day acts of kindness can turn someone’s day around; hold the door for someone, let the person with one item go in front of you in the grocery store, use thank you and please - powerful words.

In today’s economy a dollar can buy a lot. It was the price of a smile. Money well spent!