I braved Costco today on a bad day... it was the first day their new coupons were valid, AND it was a federal holiday where some workers and most schoolchildren had the day off. I went into it with no timeline, a totally relaxed and zen approach, with a commitment to be genuinely nice to anyone I interacted with.
And?
Success! Sure, I came home drained and was emotionally unable to make the *other* errand stops I intended to complete, but I had a real smile for every employee, I let everyone push their carts in front of me, I never took the last sample from the tray. Even in both the parking lot AND the gasoline line I smiled and held open the metaphorical door for others.
I don't like to let pithy proverbs win, but it's true today: it IS all in your attitude. And when going to Costco, be prepared for the worst, and when it arrives, greet it with a smile -- and plenty of time on hand.
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Can I just say, I try this all the time. Gracious smiles on the bus, no frowns, no furled brows, walking at a calm quiet pace, no headphones on, looking up, slowing, stopping, letting others go in front of me in line, in doorways, and every homeless person asks me for money. Every single one of them. Then the save the earth, save the children, save our liberty, save our Gods people stand in front of me telling me about the good fight that needs to be fought, and how my money will help win their respective wars. No reciprocity for my smile, my kind eyes, my leisured pace. Only give me, give me, give me. Broken, I reach for my headphones while my pace quickens, my brow furls, head down, eyes chill and no one wants to take from me anymore. As a Superchunk song rings in my ears I find the calm quiet stroll I was looking for all along hiding out in a hurricane of sound.
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