I hear your grumbles and gurgles already. “We know that people work at Amazon; we don’t need to be reminded of that! We get up in arms every time we hear the tell-tale sound of someone whizzing in a bottle.”

And I’m right there with you!

I don’t need the reminder either. I know people who have worked at Amazon distribution centers. I’ve heard their complaints. I’ve empathized the best I could.

Heck, when I ordered something last week and (for the first time ever) had the option of a same-day delivery (I don’t order a lot, okay?), I selected the later in the same-day time slot, so as not to make little old me feel too important.

But still. I’ve come to expect my orders fast. I’ve come to expect to the minute tracking.

I and WE have come to expect a lot from those that work at Amazon, and we all suspect that Amazon itself would only be too happy to supplant the feeble humans in its buildings with cold and unfeeling, but thrillingly efficient machines.

That’s why occasions like this are so important.

The Words of a Fellow Watcher

Per a recent Reddit post and subsequent Newsweek article, Redditor u/deshende shared with us their story of Your Name and the Amazon worker who packed their shipment.

Having purchased the movie as part of a large Black Friday order, deshende didn’t notice anything special until they began to clean up wreckage from that day of deals. And that’s when the unassuming slip of paper fell to the floor.

It’s that scrap you see up there in the lead image. A note left by the packer (since it was inside the shipment), letting deshende know that they had made a good choice and that they’d best get the tissues ready.

It’s a small, simple act. It’s an act I’m sure Amazon doesn’t encourage (and likely actively discourages). But it’s a fragment of a moment of real human connection, “in an age where…” well, you know.

As you can also see in the image, it was upvoted over 46,000 times. A small act that a lot of people found important, powerful.

Don’t forget that. Don’t forget to have small moments. Don’t forget their power.

A few days ago I stopped in a ramen restaurant for a quick dinner before I had to be at a rehearsal. I was by myself, I had never been to this restaurant, but the reviews were good, and there were people inside (I couldn’t say the same for the Jimmy John’s next door).

As a couple at the next table had the empty bowls cleared from their table, I asked if they had any recommendations, and one of the first things they asked was if I was vegetarian (I’m not, but wow- taking my needs into consideration right off the bat?). The first recommendation was a spicy creamy vegan ramen (which I’d already had my eye on), and a pork ramen.

By the time they had paid and were leaving, a bowl of the spicy vegan was sitting in front of me, which I was pleased to tell them. Not only did the soup fill and warm me, but the short, simple interaction did too. It didn’t cost any of us anything, but what we gained? At least a moment or two of trust, of faith in our fellow people.

My story may not be enough to make you cry, and maybe not even deshende’s story. But if you want to feel like a real human, I guess you should go watch Your Name, stat.