Just Ask

I reread one of my favorite books, The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, last week and it has so many good points about life and how to live fully. One piece of advice that Pausch gives in the book is that it never hurts to ask. He explains that asking questions is the only way to understand things fully; you will never know an answer if you don't ask.

I never thought too much about this piece of advice, instead focusing in on his ideas on how to overcome life's obstacles and channel your inner kid. However, going through the drive-thru at McDonald's yesterday, it hit me how important this piece of advice is and how much I actually do it. I was just getting a Diet Coke, which I've done many times before since McDonald's has the $1 any size drink special. I spoke into the speaker, was told to drive around to the first window, and saw $1.89 as my final bill. I had already pulled $1.07 (darn tax) out of my wallet, expecting that to be my total. I pulled around to the first window and when the clerk asked me for $1.89, I decided to ask, "Is the $1 drink deal no longer going on?" She kind of looked at me for a minute--I could see her brain processing my question--then she turned to the register and said that she would fix my total. I was confused, "Wait,  the $1 drink special isn't over?" She said, "No, we just got a new computer system; so, when I type in a large drink it doesn't come up as $1. We still have the signs up though, so we honor it." (aka, if you wouldn't have asked, I would have just charged you more).

I know that it's only like $0.75, which is so minuscule in the scheme of things, but money is money (this is the college kid in me speaking). I could have just gone in my wallet and gotten another dollar and paid $1.89, but just by asking about the drink deal, I got the price reduced. No one likes to hear "No." I think that our society has forgotten this word all together in many situations. I want to relearn the word though. After all, what's the worst that can happen? You ask a question and someone says "no?" You still breathing? Yes? So, what's the harm in asking...? My question exactly!