Sunday, Sunday

So it's Sunday, and Sunday is traditionally a day of rest and a day for family. I think it is also a good day for reflection and thinking of positive things, so in light of that I wanted to post something inspirational.

Did you know that what you do and say matters? Sometimes it doesn't seem like it, I know, but you can turn someones day around with a smile, or just a kind word.

Once I was at a restaurant with my family, and the server just seemed to be in a bad mood. It was kind of getting to me, especially when every request elicited irritation, and once an almost outright sigh. I was thinking "geez... do you even WANT a tip?".

Then I started to think -- what has happened in this girl's day to make her behave this way? So when she came back I smiled really warmly and asked her if she was having an okay day - to my surprise, she almost started to cry. Apparently some things were happening in her personal life and she had encountered several rude customers earlier and she was stressed beyond belief.

After she shared her day with me, I just smiled and said that I really hoped her day would improve and she thanked me for asking and listening. My service after that was fantastic (not that that was my goal -- just a nice side effect) and when I left she received an oversized tip that I truly hope helped her.

Since that incident, every time I've encountered someone who seemed rude I have tried to find out why and have been suprised at how many people will open up to you if you just ask.