Bring out the smiles!
Just as a good attitude is contagious, so is a bad one. Here’s my case in point.
This past weekend, my husband and I treated ourselves to dinner out. Being that it had been over two months since our last treat out, we were looking forward to great food coupled, of course, with good service. Well, our relaxing moods came to an abrupt halt when our waitress sauntered over to our table with a deep frown on her face. She didn’t make eye contact, just pointed her pen to her pad and waited for us to speak. Highly disappointed that she was going to ruin our first evening out in a while, I sank right into line with her attitude and solemnly ordered my water and an appetizer.
As my husband hesitated, the waitress hung her head to the side in obvious annoyance. Finally, in his most exuberant, friendly voice, he asked her where her smile was. At first, she just mumbled, “I don’t have a smile today.” But, my husband chided on further, “Oh, come on, you must have one in there you can share with us.” Her eyes softened and a weak smile surfaced on her face. “I am just tired. It’s been a long day. I’ve been here twelve hours and haven’t had a chance to take a break.” My husband continued to warm up to her and by the time he gave his order to her, she was laughing and smiling.
I am glad to report that the remainder of our dinner was superb. Our waitress was joking with us and other guests and it seemed the atmosphere in the restaurant came to life with her rejuvenated spirit. This much was evident, harnessing her bad mood would have taken much more effort and energy than playing host to a good one.
I learned a great lesson that night. Oftentimes, I look the other way and fail to challenge when I get poor service. But, by doing that, I am falling short and letting a valuable opportunity pass me by. Next time I’m given the opportunity to turn a flailing situation into a brighter one, I’m going to take it. A smile after all is a very simple gift to share that can have exponential results.
In the spirit of sharing smiles and good cheer, Barbara Sestok made a fun project, ‘Trick or Treat'.
Enjoy!
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