Have some fun, do some good.

This afternoon I went for a blood test in Hartford. I have been to this one-person staff facility before.

The nurse is in her fifties and always professional, but not talkative. She said politely "Go to the back". I don't understood where "the back" is, so I wondered through the office into what appeared to be the blood extraction chair and sat down.

Today I decided to be extra nice to her just for the fun of it and to see if I could tease some personality out of her. Why not? It is summer, the birds are singing and the A/C's are humming.

I complimented her with "Your office always smells like wildflowers". She thanked me for the compliment and asked me where I came from.

(I get that a lot - you would think I speak funny or something??)

I said "South Africa". Then out of courtesy I asked where she was from. She said Ohio. (I have heard that people in other parts of the US are more friendly than the cold, unmannered zombie clones in Connecticut that I usually deal with).

As she was taping up my almost invisible wound, I asked "Have you noticed that people in these parts are less friendly than Ohio?"

I watched the nurse's demeanor change. Like ignition under a space shuttle she got all fired up. I thought to myself "You fool. I forgot the golden rule. Never ever upset a stout lady with sharp needles in easy reach while she is blocking your exit from the blood extraction chair".

"Oh yes", she says. Then continued. "I used to work at the local hospital and every day I got into the elevator with a strong "Good Morning"". No one answered me. Then one day she said "I know that you can hear me and it would not kill you to answer". She says that folks were able to mumble under their breath the next morning when she greeted them.

After ms.nurse shared this with me, her mouth got into high gear and we had a wonderful conversation. Suddenly we are good friends and sharing stories about Ohio, South Africa and the lack of manners in Connecticut zombies. As I left her office she enthusiastically proclaimed "Thank you Wayne. You made my day. Hope you will be back again soon". (I'll take a rain check on the last part of that)

There you have it. Showing just a bit of interest in someone else can change your whole relationship and help both of you to have a more pleasant day. Even if you get nothing out of being kind, you are still putting positive energy into the universe. Do it just for fun.

P.S. I don't claim all the credit for my actions today. I listened to Joel Osteen's "Become a better you" Audio CD set for the past few weeks on my commute. His messages are influencing my life to share more kindness, be less critical at home and the office and take the high road more often.

I get personal gratification for taking better actions this week. Pick up a CD set of "Become a better you" to also get the benefits of taking better actions. Oh yeah, and if you run into a Connecticuter - Offer a strong "Good Morning" to experience the cold feeling of talking to an unmannered zombie.