You never know when kind act, smile will make impression

In a lot of cases, and especially at public meetings, our local officials often field complaints from the public, but at this week’s Imperial city council meeting, there was a different tone. A baseball fan from Kearney took time to write a letter to city officials after traveling here for a junior Legion game at Campbell Park.
    Here are some of his comments:
    “I must say that we were very impressed with the facilities, and the community involvement that we observed. The field was in great shape, your umpires were fair and the people in the concession stand even did an excellent job.”
            “Great time! Great job! We will be back next year!”
            His only complaint? His team lost, but he even joked about that.
            Local residents at the game that day likely interacted with Bob Ridenour of Kearney, and little did they know what an impression their kind words or smile made on this visitor to our community. It didn’t hurt, either, that our umpires were “fair.” You never know when your actions will make an impression like this. It made such an impact with this gentleman that he chose to take the time to write about it.
    With the Chase County Fair kicking off in a few days, bringing hundreds, if not thousands of people, to town, it might be worth remembering how our words, our smiles and our attention to someone can make a positive impression that spreads like wildfire. It’s likely Mr. Ridenour mentioned his experience here to others.
    It never hurts to share a kind word, even when we are stressed and busy like most of us will be next week. A positive action can carry far.