Unsung Heroes #124

On Sunday, I left at 6:30 a.m. for a statewide soccer coaches’ meeting in Wethersfield.

First I snagged a coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts. Then I hit CVS, for the New York Times. (I read it online 6 days a week. For some reason, I still buy the dead-trees Sunday edition.)

It was early, so the woman behind the Dunkin’ register and the guy at CVS barely registered with me.

But as I drove north, I realized: They must have gotten up very early. They traveled here from wherever they lived (probably not Westport). They did all kinds of prep work. They served me efficiently and a smile, even though I scarcely made eye contact.

And they do that every single day.

Coffee with a smile!

I don’t know the name of the Dunkin’ woman, or the man at CVS. But I do know that they — and many others like them, at Starbuckses, gas stations, and plenty of other places around town — make our mornings much more tolerable.

So the next time you buy a coffee, bagel, newspaper, or anything else — especially if the sun is not yet up — thank the man or woman who hands it to you.

I know I will.

(To nominate an Unsung Hero, email dwoog@optonline.net)