A 'mystery guest' has been hiding tiny rubber ducks in a Kentucky store for 9 months and no one knows who it is
'Gives you a little bit of a warm, fuzzy feeling that there's somebody out there that wants you to know that they're at least... thinking about you.'
Imagine cleaning out shelves on a Monday morning, not so fun, is it? What seems like a monotonous job got a fun surprise at Lori’s Fish Market in Louisville, reported Spectrum News. Over the past nine months, a mystery person has been leaving behind mini-duck figurines in random parts of the store for employees to find, and it's done way more often than expected. The owner’s son, Everett Hart, revealed that stumbling across these adorable figures at random while engrossed with the workload has been relieving and quite a breather to many. It’s a powerful example of how small acts of kindness can bring a smile to a stranger’s face.
Hart noted, “They're just something that every once in a while, while we're stocking the shelves or cleaning up around here, we'll find tucked on a windowsill or in between a couple of bottles of marinades,” the man recalled. Initially, there were just three or four, but with time, more and more of these figures were discovered, and finding them at random makes it even better. Just when you think you’re done and get back to work, there it is — an adorable tiny duck waiting to be found. What more? Lori's is the only store in the well-populated business area that this 'mystery guest' has targeted. Hart thinks that's some kind of good luck and feels proud to be chosen thus.
Even the oldest corners of the shop haven’t been spared. While Hart has no clue who is leaving these behind, he would love for the person to identify themselves because their little act has brought some unexpected light and hope. “It’s just a cute little reminder every day of little gifts that we can find around here,” he remarked. Recalling one specific instance, Hart mentioned how they were cleaning out the freezer when they found the duck. It was covered in a little bit of ice, but after spotting it, they were so interested that they ensured it was thawed and cleaned to store. More than the ducks being there, it's the gesture that is warming the hearts of employees.
“It just gives you a little bit of a warm, fuzzy feeling that there's somebody out there that wants you to know that they're at least, in some part, thinking about you,” Hart said. He added that despite having so many outlets, he is delighted that this mystery person chose their store and them for this kind act. “It makes you feel a little bit special; that's for certain,” he noted. According to Science Norway, surprises have a greater impact than one can imagine. Researcher Olgerta Asko pointed out that our brain functions like a "prediction machine.” “It creates internal models with expectations about incoming external information,” she added.
It is used to operating on what is expected, and so when a surprise strikes, it pushes the brain to become more engaged and active. Known as a “mismatch signal,” according to her research, the brain produces activity only if something unexpected happens. For instance, the employees plan to clean shelves and expect products, dust, and so on, but when met with the mini ducks, it evokes an emotional response. “If everything matches the brain's expectations, we see almost no extra response in the electrical signal. Surprises, however, produce a clear spike in activity and serve as learning signals,” the researcher explained. And if it can be as simple as this act from this anonymous genius, why not get creative and do some good for others?
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