A couple of weekends ago, my partner and I got to pick up the new cushions for our kitchen banquet (a small table with an L-shaped bench in the corner and another bench to complete the seating area).
The covers of old cushions were stained and tattered and the padding was micro thin and uncomfortable so we were looking forward to this mini upgrade.
Several months before, we had visited The Famous Foam Factory (a decades-old Berkeley institution) to pick out the new fabric - a pretty Art Deco pattern- and new foam and had placed the order.
The project took longer to complete than anticipated and when we went to pick them up the owner said in a tone that was only half joking: “I’ll never accept another angular project with that angular fabric - it was super challenging for my seamstress!”
We took the new cushions home and they look gorgeous. Such an improvement.
This past weekend after enjoying another comfortable-on-the-tush meal seated on them, I spontaneously picked up my phone and called The Famous Foam Factory. After the owner answered and I identified myself, there was an anticipatory pause, likely due to her bracing herself for a complaint or problem.
Instead, I said “We LOVE the new cushions!! They fit perfectly and are so incredibly beautiful!! I wanted you to know-especially since the project was more difficult than anticipated.”
She replied in a surprised voice “Oh my - thank you so much for calling! It rarely happens that someone calls for this reason! I’m very glad to hear this.” She asked if I would text photos of the cushions in place so she could share them with the maker, which I did.
It’s the little things - a brief, unexpected phone call of gratitude that changed her day as well as mine.
As we navigate the ever-increasing polarization of our country and often feel overwhelmed and helpless, return your attention to your sphere of influence and make someone’s day.
Little things make a big difference,
Kirstin Lindquist
