She finished scooping the last of the rice. The steak and broccoli were already in the container.

At the very moment I could have grabbed the box, she pulled back slightly. “Every day I see you here,” she said in an accent that reminds me of a kind grandmother, “and every day you come to look at this station. It’s nice to see.”

“Well, I want a variety. I get sick of eating the same thing every day,” I say, taken aback that she has remembered me.

“We have good food here. I see so many other students go directly to the grill every day. I have two boys, I know. Sure, they would love to eat that food every day, but the food here is good for you.”

I smiled, thanked her and walked away. She was happy to see me there.I suppose it’s because every day she notices me look at that station and some days, I choose it. People Notice.

The stuff we do does not go unnoticed.We have the ability, every day, to make a huge difference in friends’ and stranger’s lives. I’m going to try to use that power positively. It’s not that hard. Tonight, by being myself, I made someone genuinely happy.

This time, it was mostly by accident, but I hope I can do that once in a while.