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April 2, 2024 13 mins

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As the golden hues of a San Francisco sunset wrapped around my family and me, a sense of gratitude washed over us—gratitude for the city's beauty and for the unexpected kindness of strangers. In the latest episode of Holly's Highlights, I spill the details of our spring break escapade in the City by the Bay, from the enchanting pedal boating in Golden Gate Park to the echoes of history on Alcatraz Island. But it wasn't just the sights that captured our hearts; it was the people—the Uber driver who doubled as our photographer, the informative pickup driver, and the restaurant staff who treated us like royalty. Their small acts of kindness turned our trip into a treasure trove of cherished memories.

However, it's not all sunshine and sea lions; hospitality, or the lack thereof, can cast a shadow even on the most picturesque of trips. I share a contrast with an Uber driver whose less-than-stellar service provided a stark reminder of how crucial kindness is, especially when you're far from home. And while the Easter egg dying at our hotel didn't go as planned, it's these moments of unpredictability that often lead to the most valuable insights. Tune in for a heartfelt journey through San Francisco as we discover that it's not just the places you go, but the people you meet, that forge the most enduring impressions on the heart.

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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hi friends, welcome to Holly's Highlights, a podcast
designed to encourage, inspireand equip you to intentionally
live your life full of purpose.
I'm your host, holly Kirby,motivational speaker, leadership
cultivator, marketingstrategist and personal
cheerleader.
Let's check out today'shighlights.
Hello, my friends, I hope youhad a wonderful spring break.

(00:25):
Hopefully you were able to getaway or just find some rest and
be renewed somehow.
For me, I am getting a littlesentimental about my daughter
graduating in a year.
So we decided to take a springbreak vacation to San Francisco
and I've got to tell you it waseven better than I expected.
We had so much fun perusing thefarmer's market and pedal

(00:47):
boating at Golden Gate Park,touring Alcatraz Island.
I hadn't been there since I wasa little girl and it was
beautiful.
To say Alcatraz, a formerprison, is beautiful.
It might cause confusion, butthe flowers, just the towers,
everything about it just wasgorgeous.
Highly recommend going there.
And then, of course, we watchedsea lions and sea otters at the

(01:09):
pier and we rode in a rickshaw.
The only way to get home fromthe pier is it was a long not a
long distance, but a tiringdistance after a long day.
And of course, we devoured ourchocolate shakes and candies at
Ghirardelli Square, and weexplored the moire woods and
rode in a trolley.
We just had such a great time.

(01:31):
Now, as I got home and reflectedon everything, I got to
thinking about people who addedto our vacation experience
simply by being kind and helpful, even going out of their way to
make sure we got to where weneeded to go, or enjoyed our
moment doing whatever we weredoing.
So, for example, our welcomepickup driver, who I had
arranged to pick us up at theairport and then take us to the

(01:53):
hotel.
He was so informative as wedrove.
He kept pointing out key areasof interest and he would tell us
about great sites to see orplaces to get good photos.
So that night, as we foundourselves close to one of those
places that he had recommended,I went ahead and called an Uber
to come take us up there andthen to take us onto the hotel.
Now, this Uber driver not onlygot us up to this place, which

(02:16):
it was called Twin Peaksbeautiful area there in San
Francisco, it overlooked thewhole San Francisco area and you
just kind of felt like you wereon a cloud hovering above it.
It was really neat, but he gotus to the prime spot to see
everything.
And then he parked his car andeven encouraged us to get out
and walk around and get somephotos, and even went above and
beyond by taking one of ourfamily photos for us.

(02:39):
This man was just incredible.
Well then, the next day, however, we were leaving Battery
Spencer Park, so where we hadthe most majestic view of the
Golden Gate Bridge, and the UberI arranged was to pick us up
and drive us to the PaintedLadies and the Full House House
and I think it's called LombardStreet and then back to our

(02:59):
hotel.
Now, since I arranged these asmultiple spots, I'm thinking
I'll be able to get out and takea quick picture at a few of
them.
Right, makes sense to me how Ischeduled the pickup.
Well, the guy picks us up and Iimmediately confirm, when I get
in the car, where we're goingand that I'd like to quickly get
out and take a picture at eachspot you know shouldn't take
more than 30 seconds and he notonly tells me he can't do that,

(03:23):
but then threatens to drop usoff on the side of the street.
What?
Well, needless to say, he had achange of heart and I did get
my photos, but he did not get agood review.
Now, a similar situationhappened with our dining versus
our hotel on a different day.
In several restaurants that wewould go to, we received such
thoughtful consideration whenwe'd request something like is

(03:47):
there a table where we can seethe sunset or is there space out
in the patio to eat?
And one place in Sausalito eventook us out to the patio and
she spread her arms out, showingus all the options, and then
she looked at me with a smileand said you choose where you'd
like to sit.
That was very kind, verythoughtful, very considerate.
However, our hotel had beenadvertising that they were doing

(04:09):
Easter egg dying certain hoursthat day.
It happened to be Easter Sunday, and when we got our breakfast
that morning, I even confirmedwith them that they were going
to be doing the Easter eggdining or dying during certain
hours, and I wanted to justbasically make sure that we
would make it back in time, asone of my kids really wanted to
dye Easter eggs.

(04:30):
Well, we made it back with overan hour and a half to spare
before the event ended.
So we went to go do the eventand, to our surprise, nothing
was set up anywhere.
So when we asked the attendantabout it, they told us well,
people weren't just doing it,they weren't interested in it,
so we just put everything away.
Well, that's not right.
I mean, you have everythingpromoted.
They still had their signage upeverywhere, even in the

(04:51):
elevators.
I mean it was everywherepromoting this thing.
It still had an hour and a halfto go, and yet how
disappointing when they wentahead and pulled it back and
canceled something just becausethey didn't have the turnout or
the engagement that they werehoping for.
Now, both of these experienceswith the Uber, as well as with
the dining, remind me ofsomething my mom used to always

(05:13):
have as a decor piece in herhome and truly a motto she lived
by, and that is be the reasonsomeone smiles.
Today In the business world, wecall this providing second mile
service, where you exceed theguest's expectations.
And here's the thing thatapplies to all of us, no matter
our age, our industry or evenour employment status.

(05:35):
See, if you work in a schooloffice, you're providing an
experience for the parents whenentering the office.
So simply a kind greeting,making eye contact, even acting
as if you're actually glad tosee them there, it can make all
the difference in that parent'sday.
If you work in food, you havethe opportunity to ensure the
guests receive the correctordered meal or to make it right

(05:59):
.
If they don't Not belittle themor argue with them about who's
right or wrong on what theyordered, just fix it.
If you work in transportation,well, we can reflect back on
those experiences I shared withmy Uber drivers, or even my
experience in New York with asubway driver who got out to
help a mom and her son make surethat they got to the right
place when there was some subwayconstruction going on.

(06:21):
He simply was being observantand taking time to ask questions
.
Maybe you've had a new neighbormove in and you could take them
over a helpful welcome list ofdays the garbage cans are picked
up or your contact informationin case they need anything or
have questions.
Maybe some information aboutthat area, or even something as
simple as here's our handyman'scontact info or the kid in the

(06:43):
neighborhood who mows the yardsAt church.
Maybe introduce yourself tothat person who doesn't look
familiar to you and welcome them.
Now I totally botched this atchurch the other day.
I was sitting next to oractually one of my children was
sitting next to, someone thatseemed newer, kind of looked
familiar.
But I should have saidsomething after church.
I didn't.
I don't know what I wasthinking or where I was headed,

(07:05):
I just don't.
But my dad was so good to go upand greet them and welcome them
and get to know them.
Now I felt horrible afterward,but a great opportunity that he
took advantage of and I was soproud of him.
Maybe you're walking in and yousee a veteran or a person in
uniform.
Thank him for their service.
Or just as you're listening totoday's podcast or other

(07:26):
podcasts that you listen tobooks that you might read, go
ahead and encourage thatcreative talent with a positive
review or a rating.
Does someone look like they'rein a hurry in the restroom line?
Let them go ahead of you.
That's happened to me a fewtimes where, whether they be a
pregnant woman or a little kidor just someone who looks like
they're in desperation need ofusing the restroom before you.

(07:47):
Now.
I had a really cool experiencethroughout my first job at Kmart
.
I was only 16 years old and Ihad very quickly been promoted
to customer service supervisorof the store when one night this
older gentleman came in withhis granddaughter and they came
up to customer service there atthe desk where I was working,
and he told me that hisgranddaughter who could have
been more than maybe 10 yearsold, max was going to be going

(08:10):
to her first concert and he hada clue how to help her dress.
So I went ahead and clocked outand took my 30 minute unpaid
break and offered to help.
We had her all decked out andlooking good for her first
concert, which was a countryconcert at that, to see Clay
Walker.
Now, as I wished them well andproceeded to go clock back in,
the man asked if I liked countrymusic and I told him, yeah,

(08:31):
besides Christian music, I lovecountry music.
It was my next favorite.
So he said he'd have twotickets waiting at Will Call for
me, and then he proceeded todisclose that he was actually
the owner of the radio stationbringing Clay Walker to town.
I had a clue.
It did go to show, though, thatjust another example of when we

(08:52):
go above and beyond for othersthat second mile service or
simple act of kindness, whateveryou want to call it it does
fill our cup in some way.
Now why should we do such athing of being the reason
someone smiles today?
It's not with the intent tofill our own cup.
That's just an added unexpectedbonus we happen to receive, but
rather it's often the kindthing to do, the right thing to

(09:16):
do.
The saying goes, everyone isfighting a battle or has a story
you know nothing about.
And we've all been there.
I know we've been there.
We've been there the first timevisiting a food place following
my mom's poisoning when shesipped tea from a restaurant
that had mistakenly put lye intoit instead of sugar and ended
up in a coma at the hospital.
That last vacation was my mom,after she was diagnosed with

(09:37):
brain cancer and given butmonths to live.
That one time where we puteverything that we had into
getting a new fence or newwindows or other household
maintenance need.
You've been there too.
That day we had a death in thefamily and had to still go run
errands.
The world just doesn't stop,does it?
That one opportunity to visit adestination, or hear that
person speak, or attend thatconcert, or or or, we've all

(10:01):
been there and, simply put, wenever know what another person
is going through or what they'vewent through to simply be in
that moment where we findourselves with them that day.
So, whether through your job orsimply through your presence of
life.
Be intentional in being thereason they smile.
Are there going to bechallenges with this?

(10:23):
Absolutely.
Anything worth doing takeseffort right, and the three most
common challenges to see withthis is, first of all, I don't
know what to say.
I don't know what to do.
Second, I don't have the time,or even, third, I just don't
feel like it.
Well, for those who don't knowwhat to do or say, there's a

(10:46):
lady, vanessa Van Edwards, afabulous speaker and people
science expert, and she shares141 ways to make someone's day.
You can actually check it outon her website at
wwwscienceofpeoplecom, and it'scalled how to Make Someone's Day
.
Speaking to the time challenge,we may measure our opportunities

(11:09):
, our day, even our life, bytime, but remember that we value
such opportunities, days andeven life by the moments.
What is important to us we'llmake time for.
We all have 24 hours in a dayand we all get to choose how
they're spent.
And to those who just don'tfeel like it, that's a shame,

(11:32):
but yet I've been there and wecan look at the golden rule of
do unto others as you would havethem do unto you that pretty
much applies here as you wouldhave them do unto you.
That pretty much applies here.
I'm pretty sure that majorityof us would want someone to help
us where and how needed in ourday, just as that Uber driver
did for me and my kids by makingour experience at Twin Peaks so

(11:54):
special, or that hostess whosat us in Sausalito and let us
choose our experience that dayby choosing our own table.
Author David York has a bookout called the Gift of Lift,
where he talks about stewardshipand that we're actually
entrusted to elevate others insuch ways as exactly what we're
talking about.
Perhaps you may want to checkthat out and see such

(12:17):
opportunities through adifferent lens of what we get to
do instead of what we have todo mentality.
Melissa Broderick, who wrote anarticle in the Harvard Health
blog back on April 18th of 2019,puts it this way lead with
compassion, follow with kindness, lead with compassion, follow

(12:40):
with kindness.
And, of course, matthew 5, 41in the Bible tells us if anyone
forces you to go one mile, gowith them too.
So what unexpected value canyou give today?
What memorable moment can youcreate?
What relationship can youfoster, what impact can you
leave on the lives you encounter, and how will you choose to be

(13:04):
the reason someone smiles today.
Thank you for joining me onthis journey of life.
I hope that today's highlighthas been encouraging, inspiring
and equipping so you can go outand live your life full of
purpose.
I'd be honored if you'd take amoment to leave a review or,
better yet, subscribe.
We can also stay in touch byjoining my email list at

(13:27):
hollykirbycom.
That's H-O-L-L-Y-C-U-R-B-Ycom.
Until next time, make it agreat day for a great day.
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