BOISE - On the average day, the average person comes into contact with countless average persons. But how many actually affect us?
Then the average person walks into the Albertsons on Vista Avenue and encounters Peter Steffens, a longtime checker at the store.
For Steffens, every day is a conveyor belt of kind comments, and an unwavering positive attitude.
"Some days you just catch people on good days and they're generally happy," said supervisor Sarah Marple. "But they're not Pete happy."
After more than two decades working at the store, Steffens will tell you he gets his energy from the customers who come through his line.
And while many customers actively seek Steffens out, not everyone is always on board with his chipper optimism.
"I kind of hated him at first," said customer Dustin Hurst. "I hate to say that and I hate to admit that but..."
About a year ago Hurst was having a hard time being happy. He would visit the store often because of its close proximity to his work. But at breaktime he would specifically avoid Steffens' line.
"I would make a conscious decision to avoid his line because it bothered me so much, and it hit me inside that I wasn't that happy." Hurst said.
But he wanted to find out the source of Steffens' happiness, so one day, he simply asked: "'Hey, uh, I'm a terrible person inside and I'm dying inside, what's making you so happy?'
"And he just said, 'it's a choice,'" added Hurst.
Steffens has had his bad days, bad months even. In the spring and summer of 2014, he lost both grandparents and his mom. Suddenly being everyone's best friend felt foreign.
"I was honestly on the verge of tears for a while," he said.
But day-by-day, customer-by-customer, Steffens found his way back to being himself.
"I just put a smile on and keep going because, you know, somebody is going to want that smile, somebody is going to need it," he said. "I learned to choose every single day that there is goodness, there is happiness to be had no matter what's happened to you."
Steffens couldn't possibly put a number on how many people he's come into contact with over the years, but he's likely left a lasting impression on them.