Kindness at the checkout

Since I was young, I have been taught that a small act of kindness can completely change someone’s day. A genuine smile, a kind word, or simply taking a moment to help someone can have a much greater impact than we may ever realize.

Every Saturday morning, I take my 3-year-old daughter, Charlee, and my 2-year-old daughter, Chloe, to the Winn-Dixie in Yulee to pick up breakfast. What sounds like a simple Saturday morning errand can sometimes feel like quite an adventure with two little ones in tow.

Charlee, who marches to the beat of her own drum, has decided she is far too old to ride in a shopping cart. “I’m too old to be riding in a cart,” she will proudly tell me. So, instead, she walks the aisles, helps me push her sister in the buggy, and enthusiastically says, “Hi!!” to anyone who makes eye contact with her. Her cheerful greetings are usually met with an equally big smile.

When our cart is full, Charlee reminds me, “We have to pay for this,” and we make our way toward checkout. While I typically prefer staffed registers because I enjoy the human interaction, I have found that this particular Winn-Dixie is never lacking in that department because every Saturday morning, Logan is there with a smile on her face and a willingness to help anyone who needs it.

For the past two years, Logan has greeted my daughters and me with a genuine smile and an assortment of stickers in her hand. To an adult, a sticker may seem like a very small gesture. To my daughters, it means everything. They recognize her, look forward to seeing her, and have come to associate her with kindness, warmth, and happiness.

A few weeks ago, Charlee was wandering a little more than usual while I was checking out. Logan noticed immediately. Rather than simply watching from a distance, she took a moment to engage Charlee in conversation about the princess dress she was wearing. Charlee immediately spun around, thrilled to tell her all about it. In that moment, Logan redirected her attention, made her feel special, and gave me the opportunity to finish checking out without worrying about where my very energetic 3-year-old might wander next. It may have only taken a few seconds of Logan’s time, but to me, it meant so much.

Everyone needs a little help from time to time, especially parents of young children. I am certain that I am not the only customer Logan has helped by redirecting a “threenager,” offering a smile to someone having a difficult day, or simply taking a moment to make someone feel seen.

What makes Logan deserving of recognition is not one single grand gesture. It is the consistency of her kindness. Week after week, she shows up with the same genuine smile, the same positive attitude, and the same willingness to make a difference in the lives of the people around her.

My daughters may not remember every Saturday morning trip to Winn-Dixie when they are older, but I hope they remember people like Logan — people who taught them, simply by example, that kindness matters.

Dylan Crounse lives "over the bridge" with his wife Courtney and their two daughters Charlee and Chloe. He has lived in Fernandina off and on for the past 15 years. He is a construction supervisor with Auld and White, a Jacksonville-based firm.

If you have a story you'd like to share here in the Fernandina Observer — about a neighbor or friend or stranger or business that showed kindness, or about kindness and compassion in general — please contact Peggie Weeks at pegweeks@gmail.com