Now that's a first.

I was in the bank yesterday and experienced something absolutely amazing.

Now before I go any further, I have to explain that while our bank here on the island is part of a fairly large bank, the actual branch here is quite small, about what you'd expect for the size of the town.  I'm also going to add that one of my first full-time jobs after high school was in a bank just like this one, a small office of a larger bank in an equally small town, and I am familiar with the challenges faced by such a business.

Our bank has a reputation of sorts.  Simply put, no matter what time of day you walk in the door, you will be facing a substantial wait in line.  Those who know and expect this plan ahead, bringing a cup of coffee to sip on, a magazine to read, or in my case - a sock to knit on.  I occasionally get a little sideways smile from someone else in line, but you and I know they are just jealous that I'm making such productive use of my time.  The cashier at my former place of employment had to make daily trips to the "bee ayy ehn kay" as she referred to it and kept a paperback book in her bank bag specifically for reading during those visits. But knitting works just fine for me.

We have other locations in this town that can offer quality time in queue - the grocery store, the post office, even the gas station.  But all of these can be managed by scheduling your errand during non-peak hours or are dealt with by the businesses themselves. (How much do we love that Express lane at Vons? Or during the holiday season when the post office opens that extra window just for package pickups? Oh yesssss....) But the bank?  That one is special.

I was in the bank yesterday specifically to deposit rent checks to someone's account, which I do once a month, and have been doing for over five years.  And along with these monthly deposits, in the over ten years I have lived here I have had a few employers that did not have direct deposit, made weekly deposits for a local non-profit, and occasionally receive rebate or payment checks that needed to be cashed.  So one could say I have done my time in line.

Back to yesterday - I walked in the door, headed immediately to the end of the line, and began to pull a sock in progress out of my bag. And that's when it happened.

The branch manager, who is relatively new to the island, approached the head of the line and started asking customers if anyone had a simple, no-cash-back, deposit that she could process for them.  She very quickly worked her way down the line, helping what customers she could, ensuring that the others had their slips properly filled out, and finally arrived at me.  I was still somewhat speechless, but managed to stammer out that yes, I had a straight deposit, and before I knew it I was staggering out the door clutching a receipt.

Based on how the prior days and today went - I'm considering that the highlight of my week! 

So what was yours?