People persons (from archive)

I stopped by the post office near my work one morning this week. As I approached the counter, I smiled and said "good morning" to Postal Lady. I even made a joke about not having to pay for postage when my envelopes wouldn't scan.

Postal Lady finished my order. No smile. No greeting. Nothing.

By the time I got to my car, I was irritated … and inspired.

Irritated … because if Postal Lady is going to interact with the public, she should be cheery toward others. Sure, everyone has a rough day. But c'mom, offer a smile and pleasant greeting and make our lives a little better.

In a way, I'm jealous of Postal Lady. I sit in front of a computer most of my workday. I'm a news desk editor in charge of designing pages for our newspaper. Basically, I draw text boxes, insert pictures and write headlines in an organized fashion. It sucks.

I don't have much contact with the public. I relish the moments when the little old ladies hobble into the newsroom with a clip of church news. I get to chitchat with them, smile and tell them there's no charge for their announcement and simply make their day.

My friends, I want to encourage you. If you have a job where you interact with people, be sure to smile … offer a warm greeting … make someone laugh. You'll feel great and make someone's day much better.

However, if you rather slouch in your chair, glare and be indignant, that's OK too. I've got the perfect job for you … in the seat right in front of my desk. Go ahead, you pout and allow me the chance to laugh and smile with others.

But after I left the post office, I was also inspired because I decided that I didn't want Postal Lady's crummy attitude to infect the rest of my day.

I think John Maxwell tells this story … A mother was busy shopping, rushing from one store to the next, dragging her young son around with her. Near the end of the day, the exhausted mother dashes through the final store, scurries through the register line and hurries out into the parking lot. She then turns to her son and asks, "Did you see the dirty look that cashier gave Mommy in there?"

And the little boy replies, "Mommy, that cashier didn't give you that dirty look. You had it on your face when you went in there."

-- Originally written in November 2007