This was written last week, and was going to be posted and then my computer blew up. So, exactly a week late, here is my Day seven post. For all of you who worried that I had disappeared, I'm still here, still taking photo's!
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Part of my daily routine at work is to walk to the post office and pick up the mail that has been delivered to out P.O. box. It is a nice way for me to get out of the office, to breathe unfiltered air and to stretch my legs. Since the weather is nicer, I’ve been taking my time, enjoying the sunshine and walking at a pace that isn’t light speed (I do that in the winter, and I’ve worked my time down to around 7 minutes!)
Wednesday had been a really bad day. I was chewed out a meeting for a seemingly minor mistake (I made a word have a capital “P” rather than a lower case “p”), in front of five people and I was super choked about the situation. As with me, I took the woman’s feedback, for what it was worth, and decided to have my own little feast on it. I analyzed, I reviewed from every angle and the only thing that I could come up with was that I needed to have an eat shit and die face. Let me explain. Given my personality type, I wear most of my emotions on my sleeve. It’s not hard to tell what type of mood I’m in or how I’m feeling that day, based on my facial expressions. So when this woman scorned me and lectured me, there were about 100 different emotions that passed across my face. The biggest one being embarrassment. So yesterday on my trip to the post office, as I was feasting on this woman’s comments, I concluded that having a stone face would be the best way to handle situations like that in the future.
Feeling better about myself and the situation, I headed for Tim Horton’s to pick up breakfast and to use my new found weapon. I stood in line, waiting my turn (somewhat impatiently, I might add) and when I was finally up at the counter, I gave my order and smiled. Shit, that wasn’t what I had planned. The man behind the counter looked almost startled as I stood there grinning like a fool (maybe it was the hunger, I don’t know). Slowly, the man cracked a smile and handed me my change. Thinking nothing of it (except maybe for the fact that my first attempted at “the look” had failed) I moved off to the side to wait for my bagel and coffee. The man behind the counter came over to me and said “Did you know that you are the first person to smile this morning? Everyone else comes in here are they look so unhappy and mean. Thank you”
Hold the phone! In my attempt to change myself so that I could better handle a work situation, I was inadvertently having an effect on someone else. See, if I had stood there and stone faced the man who was serving me, I would have been like everyone else. I would have been another cold face who didn’t give a damn. But smiling changed everything, including my mood. What a win/win situation. I smiled and he felt grateful. He felt grateful and my entire mood shifted, as did my day, as did the thoughts about my Wednesday meeting.
So today, I dare you to smile at a stranger. You never know who’s day you just might brighten.
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