Ice Cream Social

There was a time when Richard had taken his kids out for ice cream. It was supposed to be one of those simple, happy moments—kids, sugar, and a quick stop. Nothing complicated about it. Just ice cream.

They ordered their treats, and Richard ordered a simple ice cream cone.

When the employee handed it to him, the cone was a little… imperfect. The swirl was too tall, leaning to one side, kind of lopsided like ice cream cones sometimes are. You know, the way ice cream cones look when a tired teenager behind the counter is just trying to make it through their shift. Richard looked at it for a moment. Then he handed it right back across the counter and said, “Nope. Redo this.” Just like that.

The kids were immediately embarrassed. The kind of embarrassed where your shoulders pull in and you suddenly become very interested in the floor tiles. They couldn’t believe he had just done that over an ice cream cone.

Later, the kids came home and told me about it. They were still shocked.

But honestly? I wasn’t surprised.

Richard had a habit of expecting perfection from people who were just trying to do their jobs. Grocery store clerks. Cashiers. Waiters. Anyone in a service job could feel the pressure of that attitude.

And here’s the thing. That employee probably wasn’t proud of that lopsided cone. They probably saw it too. But sometimes people are tired. Sometimes they’re overwhelmed. Sometimes they’re new. Sometimes it’s just… ice cream. The world doesn’t end because a cone leans a little to the left. What does matter is how we treat people in those tiny everyday moments.

Because those small interactions—at the counter, in the drive-thru, in the grocery line—are where kindness lives. Or where rudeness shows up.

And if there’s one thing I’ve learned from moments like that, it’s this:

It costs absolutely nothing to let the ice cream be imperfect.

Dude… Don’t Be Rude. 🍦