So this happened last year. I was working as a bartender in this kinda fancy bar in LA where a lot of people come to show off. You get influencers, actors, TikTok people… that kind of crowd. One Friday night, this guy comes in with a girl. He looked like some Hollywood dude. Tall, kinda flashy, wearing expensive shit, beard perfectly trimmed, just screaming “I think I’m important.” The girl he was with was one of those types that look like they live on Instagram. She didn’t say much. He, on the other hand, was being loud and acting like he owned the place. Demanding a table that was already reserved, talking down to waitresses, trying to be funny but really just being a jerk. Then he said something to my coworker (who’s really sweet btw) like: Are your hands good for anything other than pouring drinks? She just looked shocked. I saw red. I told him, Yo man, maybe treat people like people, not like background extras in your life. He gave me that look like, you don’t know who you’re tal...
I noticed this woman nearby who looked pretty stressed. She kept checking her phone and you could tell it was about to die. I had my power bank with me and, for once, it was actually charged. So I just handed it to her and said, “Hey, you can use this if you want.”
She looked at me like I just handed her a winning lottery ticket. Are you serious? yeah go for it I said.
While her phone charged, we started talking. She had just come from a job interview and was heading home. Told me she hadn’t worked in over a year and wasn’t sure if she was still cut out for it. I told her she totally was. We ended up chatting for like half an hour before I had to board. She gave me back the charger, thanked me a bunch, and that was it.
Then last week, I went to this local networking thing I almost skipped. Halfway through, someone taps me on the shoulder and says, I don’t know if you remember me, but you let me borrow a charger in Denver.
It was her. Same smile, but now she seemed way more confident. She told me she got the job, moved to a new city, and everything kind of turned around after that. She said that little moment stuck with her not because of the charger, but because it reminded her that people still care. That someone saw her and believed in her.
We talked for another hour. Now she’s mentoring other women who are getting back into work and honestly she just seemed really happy.
It’s wild how something so small turned into something that big. You really never know what a little kindness can lead to.
And for me, that moment changed how I move through the world too. I started paying more attention to people around me. Being a little more open. A little more willing to pause and connect. I never used to think small gestures mattered that much but now I get it. They really can echo.
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