Emily
Dickinson once said, “If you take care of the small things, the big things take
care of themselves.” Today’s Employee Recognition story is a prime example of taking
care of one teeny, tiny, but important thing.
An elderly
caregiver of one of our patients left their child’s appointment with multiple
scripts and a stack of papers in his hands. He asked Lorraine Landisi (Front
Desk Coordinator, Mountainside) if she would make him a copy of everything
before he left. He looked very tired as he was wrapping up some last minute
things before heading home.
Without
hesitation, Lorraine went to make the copies, a task that only took her a
couple of minutes to complete. When she came back to the counter to give the
man his copies, he thanked her not once but several times. He continued to
thank her while he organized his papers at her desk!
Lorraine’s
simple gesture of making this man’s evening a little easier made a huge impact
on him. She told him, “It was no trouble – it was a simple thing to do.” But he
replied, “Small things count.”
What
Lorraine did not know was the man had a few more errands to run that night before
heading home to relax, and having those copies would make it easier for him to
do what he needed to get done that evening.
Small things count.
It’s as
simple as that. Sometimes it’s not about the big favors or the big moments.
Sometimes we [and, yes, we all do this at times because we are all human]
wonder if what we do really matters—whether it’s here at work or at home.
We never
know when small acts of kindness serve to touch other peoples’ lives in an
impactful way. Sometimes we are not – but should be – aware how profoundly
we can extend ourselves and make a difference in the lives that touch us in the
smallest of ways.
Just
something to think about. Thank you so much Lorraine for truly going above and
beyond.
Have you
had an experience like this? When someone has done something small for you that
impacted you in a big way? Please share!
