Behind the Counter

Twice in three days I've had my once-or-twice punched coffee frequent-buyer card completely finished by the counter-person. An extra punch here and there isn't necessarily remarkable, but the exaggerated finishing of the card twice in such close time proximity got me thinking. I remember talking to Chris about this very thing last November, it even worked itself into some of her wordplay: "the double punch of your dunkin donuts cards by the wage-worker...the world will listen to the tiny acts of subversion we call the individual."
But to me, the act is more motivated by kindness than subversion, or even the most simple interpretation - the desire to be tipped. The guy at DD already had his tip from me, and Carole at Java City knows that I'll tip her whether or not she punches my card. Maybe it's my idealism, but I'd much rather think that the gesture was a result of a cordial interaction or positive rapport than a resentful desire to stick it to the man (not that man-sticking isn't also a great motivation in the right circumstances).
When I think about it, I do subscribe to the concept of 'paying it forward', and those LibertyMutual 'responsibility, what's your policy' commercials strike a chord with me. I guess I'm a 'kill them with kindness' kinda gal. I'm sure having my own experiences behind the counter, working in the service industry, made me that way. Yet it's a little strange, or at least surprising, to think of myself as optimistic overall, because I generally find pessimism and its sister sarcasm attractive qualities - my thought process being that their presence often speak to intelligence.
Yet, a negative outlook as the intelligent choice seems to contradict what I've personally found in practice: that flashing a smile notoriously gets me much further than not (a lesson my mother has yet to learn - she is THAT woman in front of you in line).
It's Monday. The weather could easily get me down, if not the news, the economy, my personal problems, or lack of sleep. But the simple choice to remain positive is allowing me to enjoy today. I have a thousand opportunities to smile and be kind to others right now, and I'm going to try to take advantage of them. As Charles Reade said "Beauty is power; a smile is its sword."