Happy Birthday!

It isn't my birthday though.

My six year old daughter wanted to be taken out for ice cream for her birthday. On the way to Culver's I had to get a document notarized and then hand it off to the UPS Store. There's no "just going out for ice cream."

The Notary Lady

The notary pointed to the pot of candy and asked if she could offer some to my daughter. I explained that it was her birthday and that we were on our way out for ice cream, so I had already told her "no candy". The lady turned her attention to my daughter, and asked her how old she was and eventually wished her a happy birthday, as did several other patrons in the store. She just "ate up" the whole experience, politely told everyone "thank you" and glided out of the store.

The UPS Store Lady

We arrived at the UPS store to a line that extended from the counter past the entrance. We waited patiently and finally arrived at the front. The employee motioned to the pot of candy and asked if she could offer some to my daughter. I explained that it was her birthday, that we were going to Culver's, and that she was told "no candy." The lady turned her attention to my daughter, asked her how old she was and eventually wished her a happy birthday. As we walked away from the counter, the majority of the people in line also wished her a happy birthday. Once again, she ate it all up, told them all "thank you" and followed me out to the car.

Who knew that running errands could be so impactful.

Growing

Our time at Culver's, thankfully, was much more lowkey. We got our ice creams and talked about what it'll be like in the year to come being a year older. She offered some good ideas on how she'll grow: being nicer to people, something else, and (somewhat unexpectedly) learning new words so she can say fancier prayers. That turned into an interesting conversation about how God doesn't need her prayers to be fancy.

Her hot fudge Sunday was "too extreme" so apparently we're going out for donuts next year.

The end.