There is no getting around the fact that I now have "laugh lines" around my eyes and mouth when I smile. Why are they called "laugh lines"? I certainly don't see any woman ever laughing when she notices lines on her face . . .
Still, I must confess that there is something that always makes me happy when I see an elderly woman whose face is filled with laugh lines when she grins. It says to me, "That woman has lived a happy life. She must have smiled a lot."
I want to smile a lot. I want my family to smile a lot. Smiling is great. Smiling is contagious.
Have you ever noticed what can be achieved with a simple smile?
When we go to Subway, Patrick always lets me order the sandwiches because he was highly impressed the first time he saw how loaded my sub was when I went through the line smiling and laughing at and with the sandwich makers. He'd never seen a sub from Subway so superbly stuffed. Do I kiss up? Nope. I just smile.
Cashiers in grocery and retail stores are often bored (trust me, I was one) . . . Bring your smile with you when you check out, and your service is much more likely to be a pleasant experience. Of course, occasionally you get a dour personality, but I find that generally a smile and some small talk work wonders (and sometimes get the cashiers to offer me coupons that I didn't have!).
And then you have the phone conversation. These are the most difficult (especially when dealing with being on hold and then getting transferred to a zillion different departments). Sometimes, just sometimes, you can get better service if you smile through your voice. Of course, there ARE times when you get someone who wants to shoot the breeze for a while when you JUST WANT TO GET THE CONVERSATION FINISHED . . . But still, it's worth a shot.
The last scenario that I will present is vital. When you go to get blood work done, SMILE FOR ALL YOU ARE WORTH. Wouldn't you rather have the nurse be extra gentle because she likes you? As a person who usually requires two to three sticks along with some probing to get ANY blood drawn, I have found that it is important to smile and be friendly. HOWEVER, judge the nurse's experience before you begin talking up a storm. There was this one really friendly nursing student who tried to take my blood when I was pregnant with Natalie. She was super sweet, but . . . she got really into our conversation and ended up bruising me badly before she called for her mother (the nurse in charge) to come and try to draw my blood. Ouch.
I'm not saying to bribe people with a smile, but I am pointing out that people are generally a lot nicer when you are friendly. Smile because you are happy, and chances are that everyone else around you will be a little happier too!
Still, I must confess that there is something that always makes me happy when I see an elderly woman whose face is filled with laugh lines when she grins. It says to me, "That woman has lived a happy life. She must have smiled a lot."
I want to smile a lot. I want my family to smile a lot. Smiling is great. Smiling is contagious.
Have you ever noticed what can be achieved with a simple smile?
When we go to Subway, Patrick always lets me order the sandwiches because he was highly impressed the first time he saw how loaded my sub was when I went through the line smiling and laughing at and with the sandwich makers. He'd never seen a sub from Subway so superbly stuffed. Do I kiss up? Nope. I just smile.
Cashiers in grocery and retail stores are often bored (trust me, I was one) . . . Bring your smile with you when you check out, and your service is much more likely to be a pleasant experience. Of course, occasionally you get a dour personality, but I find that generally a smile and some small talk work wonders (and sometimes get the cashiers to offer me coupons that I didn't have!).
And then you have the phone conversation. These are the most difficult (especially when dealing with being on hold and then getting transferred to a zillion different departments). Sometimes, just sometimes, you can get better service if you smile through your voice. Of course, there ARE times when you get someone who wants to shoot the breeze for a while when you JUST WANT TO GET THE CONVERSATION FINISHED . . . But still, it's worth a shot.
The last scenario that I will present is vital. When you go to get blood work done, SMILE FOR ALL YOU ARE WORTH. Wouldn't you rather have the nurse be extra gentle because she likes you? As a person who usually requires two to three sticks along with some probing to get ANY blood drawn, I have found that it is important to smile and be friendly. HOWEVER, judge the nurse's experience before you begin talking up a storm. There was this one really friendly nursing student who tried to take my blood when I was pregnant with Natalie. She was super sweet, but . . . she got really into our conversation and ended up bruising me badly before she called for her mother (the nurse in charge) to come and try to draw my blood. Ouch.
I'm not saying to bribe people with a smile, but I am pointing out that people are generally a lot nicer when you are friendly. Smile because you are happy, and chances are that everyone else around you will be a little happier too!
2 comments:
I whole heartedly agree! : )
Fighting a little depression these last few days. Thanks for the smile. I needed it.
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