I couldn’t decide what I wanted to write about this week, until today. I was praying that God would provide me with a good topic, and I am thankful and happy to say that He answered my prayer. It’s been an interesting few days to say the least, with a lot of ups and downs. You know how it is. One moment you feel positive and optimistic, then something happens, and those feelings change entirely. That something can either make or break your day, depending on how you choose to respond to it.
Yesterday, due to reasons I won’t mention on here, I just felt completely down in the dumps. Friday is normally my favorite day of the week, but it just wasn’t going how I wanted it to. Can you relate? I have come to the conclusion that it was Satan trying to attack me yet again. The amazing thing is, God came in and changed my perspective. When I allowed him to take control of the situation, my day changed for the better. He is so good like that!
I was so thankful when the clock hit four yesterday, and I was able to go home to my family. Being home is my favorite place to be and being around my family makes everything better. We decided to go to MOD Pizza for dinner. I had mentioned it to my husband earlier in the afternoon, as it sounded amazing. We are huge MOD fans! We discovered it one day when we were in Forney, and since then, we haven’t been able to get enough! Luckily, they opened one up in Rockwall, so that is the location we regularly go to.
I finally made it home, away from the tiresome Dallas traffic, and changed out of my work clothes. I traded my floral print maxi dress for a pair of denim shorts and a blue T-shirt, with a written text saying, “My head says gym, but my heart says pizza.” What’s funny is, I had bought it about two years ago from Walmart, and I had forgotten all about it! I thought it was fitting for our pizza outing, so I threw it on. Immediately upon seeing my shirt, my husband complimented me on how awesome it was and how much he loved it. He asked where I bought it, and why I had never worn it before. I love my husband, he is so sweet, and compliments me even when I’m wearing the simplest of outfits. Being a marketing guy, he pays attention to detail. He notices when I change my hairstyle, when I put on a new necklace, when I change my nail color, etc. Ladies, take my advice when I say, find yourself a man who notices these things. It not only shows they have interest in you, but, more importantly, it shows that they care.
My husband, my son, our friend Zach, and my parents all made it over to the restaurant, and the line was almost outside of the door. That’s a typical Friday night at MOD for you. If you ever decide to check them out, be prepared to wait in line, but trust me when I say that the taste and quality of the pizza is worth the wait! They have every pizza topping imaginable. You can choose from one of their specialty pizzas, such as “The Maddy”, “Tristan“, “Lucy Sunshine“, or you can build your own. I love building my own, because it allows me to put as many toppings and seasonings on my pizza that my heart desires; without the added cost that you get from regular pizza-chain restaurants like Papa John’s or Pizza-Hut.
You begin by telling them the type of crust you want, whether you want regular, gluten-free, or cauliflower. Then comes the sauces, cheeses, and the toppings. For me, I always have them put extra sauce and extra cheese. There’s no such thing as too much cheese. Once the cheese and sauce are added, I have them toss on some fresh basil, beef, juicy Roma tomatoes, chopped green peppers, and pineapple for an added sweetness. Before throwing your pizza into the wood-fired oven amongst all of the other pizzas, they will give you three choices of seasonings: oregano, thyme, and salt and pepper. I have them put a sprinkling of all three, as it really adds that extra flavor to spark your taste buds.
While I was finalizing the finishing touches of my masterpiece, my parents, who were to my left, were paying for their pizzas at the register. Completely out of nowhere, a brawny unkempt man, probably in his early fifties, marched up to the cashier in a fiery manner. He began attacking the poor man at the register, lashing out at him in an outrage of anger. I was in disbelief to what I was seeing and hearing. Here was this pleasant man at the register, who was only trying to take care of his customers, while the man in front of him was griping him out for how long it was taking for his pizza to be made. Now, I don’t know this man, his life, or what kind of day he might have been having, but there was no excuse for his behavior. I was embarrassed for him, and I despised the kind of example he was showing not only to my son, but to all of the other children that were watching him. He finally left the counter, and went back to his seat.
My mom looked at the cashier, and sincerely told him that the way that man had treated him was completely uncalled for and unnecessary. What the rude man was unaware of, was that the employees were having issues with their equipment, and they had a store full of hungry customers. He didn’t see the half of what was going on.
The cashier looked at my mom, and the expression on his face changed instantly. It was an expression I can only describe as gratitude, and he smiled at her. He grabbed two cups, handed them to her, and said, “You know what? These drinks are on me, and just because of your kindness and the fact that you had to witness that, I’m going to throw in some free MOD cakes!” To clarify, the drinks he was referring to were sweet tea and lemonade. My parents always choose water for their choice of drink at restaurants because of how pricey it is to choose anything else.
Once we had all finished paying for our food, we chose a table and sat down to wait for our pizzas. Our names were called one after the other as our pizzas were placed onto the counter. Everything looked and smelled amazing! My husband blessed the food, and we all proceeded to dig in. I picked up a slice of my pizza, and noticed the dough wasn’t completely cooked; probably due to the fact that there were so many pizzas and only so much room in the oven. It probably just didn’t get close enough to the flame. Everyone else’s pizzas were satisfactory. No complaints. My husband said he would take my pizza back up to the counter, and see if they could put it into the oven a little while longer. The guy at the counter told my husband, that due to company policy, they would need to just make me a fresh pizza. They wrote down my order again, and assured me that they would have my pizza out to me as quickly as possible. I wasn’t frustrated or upset, as I knew they would take care of me.
I sat at the table with my mouth watering as I watched my family enjoying their individualized pizzas. My husband offered me a slice of his pizza while I waited, but I turned down the offer. He likes a lot of meat on his pizza, but with my overactive gallbladder, my stomach just can’t handle it. About fifteen minutes later, one of the workers, whom I later found out was named Travis, came over to us. “I apologize again for the wait, your pizza was just placed into the oven, and will be out momentarily.” I thanked him for the update, and he went back into the kitchen. Ten minutes later, he came back out and said, “So…no one knows where your pizza went…all I can tell you is, it somehow disappeared…” We looked at him kind of confused and I began laughing. Shortly after, we were all laughing, including Travis. He apologized again, and said they were now preparing me a THIRD pizza, that they would have it out to me as soon as it was ready. A minute or two later, we heard the cashier announce to the staff and restaurant, “PIZZA FOR ANGELAAAA!” The staff, as well as the customers in line all clapped and broke out in a loud cheer. I don’t think I have ever been as entertained in a restaurant while waiting for my food, as I was in that moment. It made me forget all about my horrible day.
About thirty more minutes go by, and Travis comes back. “I am so, SO sorry for all of this…they have had to re-make your pizza six times now…I’m not even sure why. Is there anything I can do to make this better? I’m willing to do anything.” My husband kind of chuckled at him and said, “Well, since you mention it, those chocolate cakes DO look pretty incredible.” Travis smiled and said he would be right back. He brought back two of the same chocolate MOD cakes that the cashier had given to my parents. Let me tell you, those cakes are seriously THEBOMB.COM!!! To me, they are like an upgraded, fancier, homemade version of a Hostess Ding Dong. We were all enjoying ourselves with our new friend Travis, who was keeping us company.
They called Travis back into the kitchen, and lo and behold, the next time we saw him, he had my pizza in hand, and he was bringing it over. I had built up quite the appetite, so I was full of anticipation! I opened up the box, and I saw perfection. I took a bite of my pizza, and a burst of flavors danced on top of my tastebuds. HANDS DOWN, BEST PIZZA EVER. I ate all but two pieces, and my stomach was full and happy. Travis again said if there was anything more he could do for me, all I had to do was ask, and it would be done. I thanked Travis for everything he and the other workers had done for me and my family, and we left the restaurant.
I didn’t think about this until the ride home, but I should have told Travis that I wanted my pizza to be put onto their board of specialty pizzas, and have them call it “The Angela”. I mean, how cool would that be?! To have my pizza be part of their menu. They did make it six times after all, and probably have the toppings engraved into their minds. Travis, if you are reading this, I would be so thrilled if you made this happen. I would tell all of my friends about your restaurant and how awesome your team is. Seriously, your customer service is top notch!
My point is, even the smallest acts of kindness can change someone’s day. You never know what someone might be going through or how they might be feeling. Treat people how you want to be treated. Smile at people and say hello. It just might be what they need, and often times, it puts a smile on their face. Make jokes, laugh, and don’t sweat the small stuff. There is so much more to life than being upset over things like having to wait in line at a restaurant, or waiting for your pizza to be made. Last night I was again reminded of how our actions affect the people around us. Be considerate of other’s feelings, and when you see someone being mistreated, speak up! Stand for kindness, not hatred.
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
-Colossians 3:12-17
Copyright © 2019 Angela J. Stout.
This Is My Story 