how it started.

The buzzing noise of our espresso machine, and the deep aroma of coffee beans flooded the cafe. My fingers, which were now imprinted with coffee ground, dusted the crumbs off of the pastry shelf. Admittedly, I am not a morning person. It was just before 6AM on that July morning, and soon, I could no longer look so tired. 

At precisely 6:02 AM, our first customer of the day, Jerry, came in. Jerry always had a smile on his face. So, it felt unusual when Jerry walked into the cafe that morning lacking his usual energy. 

I noticed something-else unusual. His tie was lime green–different from the usual black or navy. As I handed Jerry his order (a black coffee with two sugars), I said, “I like the color of your tie.” 

Jerry, who was typing away on his phone, looked up with a big smile. 

“Thank you, it’s new!” he exclaimed proudly. 

As he left the shop, I noticed how much happier he seemed than when he came in. In that moment, I felt a warm sense of joy as I realized that, although unintentional, my words brightened his morning. I wondered how I could impact others in the same way. That is, what could I do to let people know that they are appreciated?

When the school year began, I could no longer work mornings at the coffee shop. My days were instead filled by planning class fundraisers, canvassing for various politicians, and looking after my neighbor’s dog. Although I enjoy keeping busy, I felt somewhat unfulfilled. It was as though there was something else I could be doing. 

That is when the road to the “Happy Cup Project” began. During the next few months, I started an initiative that spread compliments through messages on coffee cups.  

I called coffee shops in my area (only the local ones, no big chains), and met with owners to present my vision: a day ever so often when the coffee cups in our area would have a compliment on them. In other words, a customer could grab a coffee and get a compliment. To convince coffee-shop owners to participate, the compliment stickers would include their coffee shop’s logo. The shop would be advertised through the #HappyCupProject on Instagram–the online platform I used for the initiative. After meeting with the owners, some agreed! 

Next, I designed 10 different compliment stickers with each of the coffee shops’ logos. I then formatted the stickers as labels, printed 200 of the stickers for each shop, and subsequently picked up the cups from every shop. 

I spent that night pasting the stickers to the cups. The following morning, I delivered the cups to the shops and watched as customers grabbed their cups. The #HappyCupProject on Instagram eventually started trending throughout the postage-sized towns that make up our little corner of Bergen County.

I do not think I will ever forget when I watched a customer grab his cup and say, “This made my day!” 

The sense of pride, joy, and purpose that I felt in the summer returned. I realized that it is not only our accomplishments that matter, but what those accomplishments do for others.

The best accomplishment of the Happy Cup Project is that it proves a simple gesture of kindness can make a difference. And who knows how those touched by the Happy Cup Project may find their unique way to share kindness.