Hello lovely!

Fifteen years ago I was a cashier in a grocery store. A lost tourist came in needing directions to a different store the next town over?

Hearing the request, my front line manager huffed dramatically. He was a total grumpy butt who disliked people and was visibly annoyed that someone needed his assistance.

This was all happening right next to my empty check out line so I watched as my manager gestured in the air while quickly giving the multi-step directions.

The tourist’s eyebrows scrunched up while their head tilted over in that “I have no idea what you’re saying?” way. 

I knew there was a better solution.

I had no customers so I locked my cash register, turned off the open lane light, and signaled to my manager I was going on a short break.

Dashing to the back room where the login computer was located, a quick online search gave me a map between our location in Orem, Utah and the tourist’s destination ten minutes away in Provo.

I printed out a paper copy and highlighted the route to take.

It took literally less than two minutes and I was back to my check out line.

Oh no! The tourist had finished talking to my unhelpful manager and was walking out the door!

I ran after them. “Excuse me! Excuse me!! I have a map for you!”

They turned around. “What?”

“I printed off this map for you.” I pointed to the highlighted roads while handing over the paper. “Here is the route you need to take.”

“You printed this just for me?” They asked. “Why?”

“Because I know what it’s like to be lost. Have a good day! Bye!”

I walked back to my register as the tourist left with map in hand.

“I would never do that.” My grumpy manager said. “I would never go print off a map for someone.”

I smiled while turning on my open lane light.

“I know.”

Thankfully, a customer walked up with a full cart of groceries so that was the end of that conversation. 

It wasn’t the time or place but if I could’ve, I would’ve said to him:

“I know you would never do that for someone because we have different primary values. I value Generosity and Compassion. You value Frugality and Tradition.

Running into the break room to print off a map is a generous, compassionate thing to do. You would see it as a waste of time and a waste of paper because you’re quite frugal plus traditional verbal directions should be good enough.

That’s okay. We value different things so we make different choices.”

Let me say that again - not in an imaginary conversation with my grocery store manager from fifteen years ago - but to you reading this:

We value different things so we make different choices.

Those different values are reflected in the boundaries you choose to set. 

A boundary is a communicated expression of what is okay and what is not okay with you. 

What determines the “okay” and “not okay” part is your primary values!

My top two primary values are Generosity and Compassion.

What about you?

Warmly,