Recently I was at Trader Joe’s which is one of my favorite grocery stores. I have been going to this particular store for a long time and I know many of the employees who work there quite well. Many of them know I went to Michigan State University because I often wear an MSU sweatshirt during the fall and winter months. During this particular visit the parking lot was full, so I had to park at the back of the store. After I’d finished shopping, I pushed my groceries to my car in a shopping cart. As I began to return the cart to the front of the store, I noticed an employee who I didn’t know very well, closing the door to the stock room which is at the rear of the store. By the time I reached the front of the store, he was already there, outside sorting pumpkins. He then asked me, “Did you return that cart all the way from the back of the store?” When I said yes, he said, “Boy you Spartans sure are good citizens!” It’s interesting to note that if I had abandoned the cart at the back of the store and driven off, he wouldn’t have noticed, but because I took the time to do the right thing and return the cart to the front of the store, he did.

One Sentence Wisdom

• “Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” — Mark Twain
• “The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it.” –Norman Schwarzkopf

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