{"id":115,"date":"2008-05-01T15:59:37","date_gmt":"2008-05-01T23:59:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rayivey.com\/wordpress\/?p=115"},"modified":"2009-01-06T15:18:45","modified_gmt":"2009-01-06T23:18:45","slug":"nice-nice-very-nice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.rayivey.com\/wordpress\/nice-nice-very-nice\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"rss\"<\/a>\"instagram\"<\/a>

You don’t expect to find enlightenment at Wendy’s.<\/p>\n

I was there this afternoon, the one on Sunset Boulevard right off of La Brea, enjoying a burger after seeing Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The place was crawling with high school students that looked like they were on a field trip or something . .\u00a0 except I didn’t see any chaperones.<\/p>\n

I tried not to let their high-decibel antics harsh my mellow and enjoyed my burger.\u00a0 However, further irritation came from the table to my left, where a woman was listing an undending litany of complaints to her girlfriend.\u00a0 Not too loud . . . just consistent, like a mosquito that you can tell is on the other side of the room.<\/p>\n

Then the most threatening thing to my burger high of all:\u00a0 A beggar sauntered into the busy dining room, and began to make his way from table to table.\u00a0 Great, I thought.\u00a0 Why doesn’t Wendy’s management stop this guy from bothering their customers?<\/p>\n

He got to my table and I gave my usual Get Lost look.\u00a0 He moved on to Miss Complainy McChatter. “You hungry?” she asked him.<\/p>\n

A moment later she was at the counter, buying him lunch.\u00a0 As she passed by me on the way back to her table, I spoke up.\u00a0 “Ma’am?”<\/p>\n

“Yes.”<\/p>\n

“You put me to shame.”<\/p>\n

She sat back down and I tried to enjoy the rest of my meal.<\/p>\n

I am one of those people, I realized.\u00a0 One of those assholes who likes to talk about the Big Picture, aspires to own a Prius, is seriously considering buying a reusable grocery bag.\u00a0 But I’m too lazy and cheap to help someone right in front of me who has an immediate need.<\/p>\n

I realized I finally understood the difference between “nice” and “kind.”<\/p>\n

“Nice” is when it doesn’t cost you anything.<\/p>\n

Average Rating: 4.9<\/span> out of 5<\/span> based on 258<\/span> user reviews.<\/span><\/div><\/p>

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