This past Saturday, I had a simple mission: finish my grocery run, stocking up for two families — mine and my neighbor’s.

It was mid-day, and the store was packed. Not ideal, but doable.

At the checkout line, my cart (which could have doubled as a small mountain) was queued up while I ran just a few feet away — literally 15 steps — to grab one last item from the same aisle.

In the thirty seconds I was gone, a man slid his cart in front of mine.

When I playfully asked, "Were you ahead of me before?" he snapped back:

"You abandoned your cart. You don't get to hold a spot."

There it was — harshness, judgment, and entitlement, all at once.

I explained — briefly, calmly — that I was only a few feet away. It didn’t matter. He continued:

"Look at your cart — you have 18,000 things!"

In that moment, I realized:

It wasn’t about the cart.

It wasn’t about the thirty seconds.

It was about fear of inconvenience... and a complete absence of thoughtfulness.

I let him go ahead. Told him — genuinely — that it clearly meant more to him than to me.

But the interaction stuck with me. It could've been so different...a simple question from him, "do you mind if I go ahead of you as I have fewer items?" would've prompted the "no issues at all, go right ahead" response.

Because this is how small moments — zero moments — either spark kindness or trigger chaos.

At that store, I'd seen it a hundred times:

• One customer's nastiness rippling through the line.
• One person holding the door, making ten people smile after them.
• One "I'm in a rush" glare setting a cashier on edge for the next hour.

It’s not about carts. It’s not about wait times.

It’s about being human, with each other.

Every day, we have dozens of chances to choose:

• Thoughtfulness or thoughtlessness?
• Entitlement or empathy?
• Rush or respect?

Zero moments aren't neutral. They either ripple out goodness... or pull it away.

And the ripple doesn’t stop at the grocery line — it carries into every experience we shape.

Next time you're interacting with an employee, a colleague, or a customer — pause for just a moment.

Choose to create a better ripple.

The EX (employee experience) and CX (customer experience) you build starts with the micro-moments you own.

Get better each time. Need ideas on what this looks like? write to me and let's brainstorm together.