Stories of Kindness from Around the World

I was a freshman in college when I met Mr. Yepp. He was friendly and smiled a lot. He was almost always standing by the cashier that checked us into the university cafeteria, and I would run into Mr. Yepp during three of my daily meals.

However, as the years past, I became annoyed by him. He would stand there and shake every person’s hand that came through the cafeteria. This was a problem for me because I did not want to offend him by refusing his handshake; however, I did not want to shake hands with him before coming into the cafeteria to eat because he was shaking every single person’s hand, and I had sanitary concerns. When we had the swine flu outbreak at the university, I started to avoid him by going through the back door.

I am out of college now, work full-time, and Mr. Yepp is still standing by the cashier doing the same thing that he has been doing for many years. A few weeks ago, I took some time to sit down and talk with him. It turns out he is not on the payroll, and he comes to the cafeteria of his own free will.  Many times one may see him cleaning up after the students, and he sometimes even fills in for the cashier at the door, so I was surprised to learn that he is not a paid employee. When I asked him what motivated him to do what he does, he told me that he enjoys the stress-free environment. He is 79 years old but looks to be in his 50's. He retired many years ago and comes to the cafeteria to keep his mind and body active.

I noticed that he always takes a to-go plate before leaving the cafeteria. It turns out that he takes this plate home to his wife, who suffers from dementia. I asked him about her, and he told me that he wakes up every morning at the same time, makes her breakfast, then leaves the house to give her space, which he says they both need, and he returns in the evening with dinner. He says that she took such great care of him when they were young and that he does the same for her now.

I asked Mr. Yepp, "Is a college campus really less stressful?" His answer was that he enjoys seeing and interacting with the young kids who have so much potential. After my talk with Mr. Yepp, I was embarrassed to have had the thoughts I had about his kindness. It never occurred to me that many times, he was probably the first smiling face that many the students at the university saw in the morning, or that his speaking to everyone who walks into the cafeteria is a gesture that probably means a lot to many of the students, whose days he brightens. So now every time I run into Mr. Yepp, I make it a point to stop, give him a high five, and smile before moving on. Mr. Yepp spends an average of 8 hours a day just to be a smiling face in the cafeteria. He can be seen going from table to table and speaking words of encouragement to many young men and women.

So today I name Mr. Yepp one of our many “Everyday Angels.”