My hometown is tiny. It’s about 1.5 square miles. The population is roughly 2,500. It’s a map dot, that’s for sure, but I love St. Henry, OH. There are things about a small town that you just don’t get in the big city – I know this, because I’ve lived in the city for the last 6+ years of my life. One of the things you don’t get in the city: candy Smarties for making a transaction at the bank.

When I was a kid, I would ride along with my mom to the St. Henry Bank on Saturday mornings, she’d pull into the drive-thru, make her banking transaction and when they’d send the little capsule back over to us there would ALWAYS be a little sweet treat in the capsule for me and my siblings. The treat: Smarties. Always.

I so looked forward to getting those Smarties every time I went to the bank. Oddly enough, that simple treat began to subconsciously shape the way I thought about the bank. It was an act of kindness towards the customer that I’ve never forgotten, a tiny token of appreciation for doing business with them. It was not necessary and I’m sure is a teeny-tiny overhead charge that could be eliminated, but that tiny act of kindness showed me the bank cared in a small way. The bank cared to put a smile on the faces of children and customers. So small and insignificant in the eyes of many, but oddly enough it’s made a lasting impression on me.

To this day, when I visit the drive-thru of a bank in the city, I always hold out hope for a sweet treat to be returned in the capsule and inevitably am slightly disappointed when I drive away empty-handed. Proof of the lasting effects of kindness. Even the smallest acts have a lasting impact.

What small acts of kindness have left a lasting impression on you?