A moment of kindness

I'm obviously still new to how systems work in my new job, and new to how Penn works in general. One thing is for sure: being in the outside world of teaching is different. For one thing, when I was a teacher and had to make multiple copies, I had to make them myself. The copier would break, I would run out of paper....anything and everything would happen. Now, working within a university, when I need multiple copies, I just order them through Campus Copy. I've done this a couple of times and each time I have been blown away when they have been completed within the time frame requested.

Today, I went to pick up an order of copies and was preparing to lug them back to the office, the very nice Campus Copy man said, "Don't you know that we deliver?" Of course I didn't know that they delivered. If I had, I wouldn't have staggered across Walnut street with my heavy load.

Thankfully, I kept those thoughts in my head and told him politely that I was new and wasn't aware of the delivery option. "Want me to walk you back and help you?" he asked. I almost automatically said no. I'm not used to letting people help me. Yet then, I thought again, and accepted his help. We had a nice walk back to my office, chatting about our jobs and the weather, and his 7 month old son.

Making copies ain't so bad at Penn, I thought. Then I remembered that the School District probably barely has money to make any copies at all.