The switch on the bedside lamp stopped working a few days ago. It seemed like a simple enough repair and even I, who have never been a handyman, thought I could fix it. I took the lamp to the kitchen table and took it apart. I knew what was wrong – something in the switch would not catch – but after messing with the workings for a bit, I decided I needed a professional and reassembled the lamp.

I had noticed a sign in the neighborhood hardware store window that said “Professional Lamp Repair” so I put the lamp in the car and decided to check that out the next time I was in the neighborhood. That morning, after a doctor’s appointment, I swung by the hardware store and asked if they still did lamp repairs (the sign wasn’t in the window). They did, and I went back to the car to retrieve the lamp. The clerk took my name and phone number and told me the lamp repair guy might be in later that day and, if not, he’d be in on Thursday. They’d call when my lamp was ready.

A couple of hours later, the phone rang and the guy on the phone told me my lamp was ready. I happened to be running errands in the area and told him I would be by within the next half hour.

“You need to stop by the bank on the way,” he said. “It’s gonna cost you $1.61.”

I laughed and told him I’d see him soon.

Twenty minutes later, I walked into the store and a couple of guys were standing behind the counter. I told them my name and the guy who had repaired the lamp turned and took it off the shelf while I took out my wallet.

The repairman said, “$1.61.”

I had a five in the wallet. “Here, take five,” I said, “for your trouble.” I gave the five to the guy at the register who took the bill and opened the register.

“It was no trouble,” the repairman said, “and it only costs $1.61.” Meanwhile, the other guy was standing there, holding my five-dollar bill. The repairman turned to him and said, “Give him his change.”

I insisted but he countered that I only owed $1.61 so I relented, took my change and the lamp, thanked him, and headed for the door. A simple act had earned this customer’s loyalty.

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A moment of civility. It made my day. And I felt better the rest of the day because of it. I keep thinking about why I was so impacted by such a small but decent and honest gesture. Then I started thinking about the world around us and how rare a decent, honest, and civil gesture has become in a world driven by hate, greed, and division – when the sorriest role models are those who are supposed to be in charge.

It’s time to set a new standard. Practice civility. Seek it out. Vote for it. And find out what a difference a simple gesture can make.