Today I was at Walmart and in a bit of a hurry to get back to pick Eloise up from preschool. Like usual, I picked the absolute slowest line in the store. It was taking forever but it was past the point of no return and I had to stick it out. When it was finally my turn, I noticed the cashier. She didn't make any eye contact and kept her eyes down the whole time, expressionless and a little sad. I tried to chat, but she barely mumbled in return. (She wasn't rude, just really shy). She meticulously and slowly organized each bag, then she reorganized, and re-organized again to make sure everything fit just right. It was very hard to watch, knowing that I was now definitely going to be late.
At first I was so annoyed and almost said something like "it doesn't have to be perfect, I'm in a hurry." Before I said the words out loud, I had the thought, "complement her on how well she's doing."
I considered it for a minute and decided to go for it. I said, "wow, you are really good at organizing those bags, these guys are lucky to have you!" She quickly glanced up, probably by surprise, and then looked back down and went to her work with a proud tiny smile.
It made my whole day. My irritation was completely gone, and I felt so happy. Being optimistic is the real deal. And it was a great reminder that if you ever have the thought to compliment someone or be encouraging, do it right then. You never know what a difference it can make for Them and you
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