(Tond van Graphcraft / Shutterstock.com)
Sometimes, it is the smallest gesture that can make the biggest difference. This was true for Natalie Te Paa, the blind guest who was spontaneously surprised in the sweetest way by the employees of a London restaurant.
The video, recorded by Te Paa’s friend, shows the moment when she receives a plate with chocolate dots from the hands of one of the restaurant’s waitresses. When Te Paa passes her fingers over it, she excitedly exclaims: "No freaking way! They did not!" She was clearly both astonished and very touched by the fact the chef had written “Happy Birthday” in Braille.
Watch restaurant surprise blind customer with birthday message in Braillehttps://t.co/IcEhrFF1pu
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) August 20, 2021
Braille birthday surprise!
Te Paa had gone to celebrate her birthday at the Luciano by Gino D’Acampo restaurant with her friend Claire Sara, after both attended a show, Today, the news site from the Today Show on NBC details. They arrived without prior notice and once seated, Sara told the restaurant workers that it was her companion’s birthday.
It wasn’t her friend who set the surprise up, Te Paa revealed to Today. What most blew her away was that it was the idea of restaurant staff. They pulled Sara to one side on her way to the bathroom and asked her if a greeting message in Braille for Te Paa would be well received.
"My mind was blank for a second and then I was like, 'Is this in Braille? I found it hard to string a sentence together," Te Paa told Today. "My mind was just going. I've never had anything happen like that before. It was wild."
Act of kindness captivates the public
Since the heartwarming video was originally shared on TikTok by the birthday girl, it has gotten nearly 16 million views. The caption reads, "So take heart despite how broken the world is right now ﹘ true kindness still exists." The video was titled: "They had the chef write Happy Birthday in BRAILLE!!!… using melted chocolate." Times Now News, an Indian news channel from The Times Group, details.
Te Paa told Today that she was touched by the way the people working at the restaurant addressed her disability, and adapted the birthday message as they did. To her, they obviously made an effort by looking up how to write the greeting in Braille, and by making sure the chocolate was cold enough to prevent it from melting to the touch.
The overwhelming public response to the video has not only surprised Tea Paa, but also the new restaurant’s staff. The gesture was impressively welcomed because it carries a message of care and inclusivity. And it proves that a good deed can sometimes make more of an impact than the most carefully planned advertising campaign. This teaches us an important lesson: making a difference in someone else’s life can really count.
As Te Paa told Today in her own words: "The fact that people have responded so much and so well to it just shows how much the world needs kindness right now, how much the world needs a message of hope, needs to see people doing things and going above and beyond for each other."
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