by EMILY MELTON
Lifestyles Reporter

Albert Einstein once said, “Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to a divine purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: That we are here for the sake of each other, above all, for those upon whose smile and well-being our own happiness depends, and also, for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy.”

By this, I believe he means we are all affected by each other, though we may not even be aware. Our decisions also have a profound impact on others, as well.

Even the things we do not think about probably alter, even slightly, the lives of many individuals.
Let’s take, for example, the story of the cook.

Perhaps the cook had a rough day – let’s say he was running late, let’s say his girlfriend called a few minutes before he arrived at work.

When she called, he wondered whether or not he had time to answer, and though he knew he’d be cutting it close, he decided to take the call.

During their 1-minute-and-56-second phone conversation, she broke up with him.

One of the waitresses at the restaurant was busy taking tables, writing down orders and presenting them to the kitchen staff.

The cook, who was suffering from the aftermath of the 1-minute-and-56-second break-up, dropped one of the burgers on the floor.

This caused a 12-minute delay. 

This caused the impatience of a previously happy, dining couple.

The couple did not leave a tip.

And that night, when the waitress counted up the money she earned, she realized she was but a few dollars short of having the extra cash she hoped to set aside as money to spend at her leisure. 

And if the cook had not answered his phone, if his girlfriend had not broken up with him, if the burger had not fallen on the floor, if the couple’s meal was not delayed and if they had not become impatient, the waitress would have gotten a tip.

Now, if the waitress wasn’t but a few dollars short of having the extra cash she hoped to set aside as money to spend at her leisure, she would have taken her brother to see the movie he’d been squealing about for the past three months.

But because the cook answered his phone, because his girlfriend broke up with him, because the burger fell on the floor, because the couple’s meal was delayed and because they got impatient and did not leave a tip, she could not.

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