Bunnies, Kittens, and Small Children

I stopped by my battery store this morning.  I love Vacation City - it's a smallish city that's hemmed in by the mountains and the ocean, thwarting all efforts by developers to make it into a biggish city.  I almost never go out without seeing someone I know.

Anyway, this young man helps me get the weird sized battery I'm looking for.  I inquired after his well-being.

"I'm good - how are you?"  he replied.  A couple of beats later he says: "And thanks for asking."

"I take it not many people ask you that?" I said.

He snorted and fairly rolled his eyes in derision.  "No," he said.

I do pray every morning that I be of service to someone, somewhere, in some way, during my day.  I have such an inflated opinion of my value to the world that I'm always looking for big, showy, splashy, public acts of service.  I say again - if no one knows that you've done something nice why make the effort?  What's the point?

My comment got a dialogue started as he was helping me with my purchase.  He seemed to have a bit of a cold.  My follow-up question revealed that he actually was having an allergic reaction to his dog - normally he keeps this under control by keeping the dog out of his bedroom but last night the animal snuck in somehow.

"When we were getting the dog my mother and I decided it would be best to get a small, short-haired dog because of my allergies," he said.  "But my mother shows up with a big, long-haired golden retriever."  We both laughed.  He assured me he loved the dog but he had to be a little careful not to spend too much time in a high-dander zone.

What a great story that was.  It made my day, thinking about this big Hispanic man, barely out of his teens, suffering cold-like symptoms because he loves his dog.  Young men don't generally care to admit love for bunnies, kittens, and small children so I got a kick out of it.  Of course, I'll remember our talk and abuse him mercilessly the next time I visit the store.

Reveal something personal to me at your own risk.