That kid with the rusty MTB who just wanted it to roll
Some teenager brought in a bike that hadn't moved in 5 years, chain was a solid rust bar, and he just kept saying 'I don't need it fancy, I just wanna ride to school.' Fixed it up for $45 with basic cables and a new chain, and the way he lit up when he rolled it out, idk, that's the whole reason I do this. Anyone else have a customer like that who made the grunt work worth it?
Had a buddy who runs a small shop and this older lady brought in a sewing machine, not even a bike, that she swore was haunted because it kept jamming. Turned out a dried up piece of thread was stuck in the gears, cost her nothing but a smile when he cleaned it out. She came back a week later with homemade cookies and told everyone in her church about him, that kind of stuff keeps you going.