When I was super pregnant last summer before my son was born, I remember walking through the hall at work one day. There was a guy up ahead of me, and as he went through the door he held it open for me. I said thanks, but as I didn't know the guy, I was pretty much going to ignore him and keep on walking. But he made a comment to me that has stuck with me, and just completely made my day.
"So when are you due?"
"June 26th"
"Ah, a Cancer. That's so great. They stay really close to their families. That's so great for you!"
My first thought was, "this guy knows astrology!" But my second was, "what a totally awesome thing to say!" I mean really, what mother doesn't want to hear that her child will always want to be close to their family? It really made me happy and I thought about it often.
Well, I've been back at work for three months now, and I just happened to see the guy today in the hall. Yet again I was going to walk by and ignore him, he was talking with someone else. But he asks as I walked by,"So what did you have?"
"A boy. He's doing really great."
It was nice that he remembered me, and it was nice to be reminded of that time last summer, and smile again at what he said. My only regret? I kept on walking! Why didn't I stop and say thank you, and say how much his comment made me smile? If one comment from him could make my day like it did back then, what would a thank you and an acknowledgment that I remember his kind words do for him today? I promised myself, next time I see him, I'm stopping and telling him.
First of all, how cute is Julie's baby boy??? I know, right! Secondly, I love this story because it shows how a friendly comment can really affect someone. And Julie's right, telling the gentleman how she appreciated what he said would probably make his day too, so hopefully she'll run into him again soon. :) I know speaking up to strangers is tough for me. When I miss out on an opportunity to be nice, I always think afterwards, "I should have said something!" I need to take a cue from Julie's kind coworker!
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7 comments:
My Mom always used to tell me, always try to say something nice to the people that you meet! It may be the only nice thing they hear all day.
Great story.
That is such a great point. I know I go through days where nothing particularly nice is said to me. And when someone does say something nice, it sticks. Like the other night I was picking up dinner and the cashier told me she liked my headband. That made me so happy! And yeah, it was the nicest thing I heard all day!
Melissa, you're right on target! As Mark Twain once said "I can live for two months on a good compliment." Making small talk is one of the most important things we can do to open ourselves up to amazing new experiences and use the power of nice in our everyday lives. But, in today's on-the-go society, many people assume that there's simply no time to "shoot the breeze" and that casual chit chat is pointless. But, small talk is by no means insignificant: in fact, we think it's the social lubricant that brings people together, regardless of their differences.
So true! I still have to push myself to get over my shyness, but I'm always glad I did. My morning experiences at Starbucks are better now that I got to know my baristas. And the grocery store isn't so dull when I can joke around with the checkout girl.
My husband is the king of small talk (and big talk, for that matter!) He makes friends everywhere he goes. I could learn a lot from him!
Such a great skill to have! But, just keep practicing and you'll get there too. For shy folks, one of the easiest ways to start toning your small talk muscles is to try to give out one compliment a day. After all, who doesn't love hearing that someone loves their shoes or wants to know where they got their beautiful earrings?
Love your blog! It reminds me of my twin Sister's quest to spread peace. She paints peace signs on small rocks and spreads them everywhere in random places for people to find. She has a blog where the people that find them can leave a comment...its called http://sasa-peace-rocks.blogspot.com
Julie should let her co-worker know about this website. I bet he could give us more good lessons! I have been trying to work on my small talk. Sometimes others are not at all receptive and sometimes I get such a pleasant reaction that it buoys my spirits as well! I hope Julie has a chance to thank him soon.
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