A Boy and the Ice Cream Sundae

By Pinyo, on September 22, 2007

I am ticked off. I cannot believe how uncivilized people are these days. It became increasingly harder for my 7-month pregnant wife to commute using the busy NYC subway system. Worse yet, my wife often complain about people who completely ignore her, or even shove her aside to get a seat (there are a few exceptions of course). I still remember the days when a man would offer his seat to a child, a pregnant woman, a handicapped person, or an elderly person. This is no more…at least in New York City.

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Photo from stock.xchng

Without turning this post into a rant, I would like to share an inspiring story with you. I cannot recall where I first read this story, but I thought it was a great story that reminds me of the more civilized days when people were nicer to each other. This is a variation of that story:

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year old boy entered a coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress comes by and put a glass of water in front of him.

“How much is an ice cream sundae?” asked the boy.

“Fifty cents,” replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it.

“How much is plain ice cream?” he inquired.

Some people were now waiting for a table and the waitress was a bit impatient.

“Thirty-five cents,” she said annoyingly.

The little boy again counted the coins.

“I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table, and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier, and departed.

When the waitress came back, she began wiping down the table and then swallowed hard at what she saw. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies – her tip.

I know this has nothing to do with personal finance, but I hope you enjoyed the story nevertheless.

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Pinyo is the brain behind Moolanomy personal finance blog and a few other web sites. If you like this article, please subscribe for free daily email updates.

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