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09 Mar 12 - 10:16 AM (#3320446) Subject: BS: Say something nice From: olddude Went down to pay my property taxes (OUCH) anyway the elderly lady that takes the payment was of course getting the third degree from people. When I came up to the window I said "I am just here to give some money to a pretty lady" she said, so far I had a horrible morning and you just made me forget all of that, "thank you for being so kind" now how hard is it to say something nice once in a while, it just may change someone's day for the better. The elderly lady is just a part time secretary. If I gotta beef with my taxes I take it to the town board not the little old lady that collects the payments. Go figure |
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09 Mar 12 - 10:31 AM (#3320457) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: wysiwyg 'i love you' |
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09 Mar 12 - 10:46 AM (#3320465) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: olddude That will always make someone's day Susan :-) |
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09 Mar 12 - 10:59 AM (#3320469) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: Bobert My motto has always been, "If ya' see someone without a smile, give them one of yours"... Works 99% of the time... B~ |
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09 Mar 12 - 11:22 AM (#3320475) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: Bert Nice one Bobert. |
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09 Mar 12 - 11:23 AM (#3320477) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: Maryrrf It's important to keep in mind that very often the person we talk to on the phone, or interact with at the counter, isn't responsible for the policies of the entity they work for. But they are often on the front line taking all of the abuse. Because of this, some of them do develop an attitude (although some seem to be able to take it in stride.) Thanks for reminding us of this, OldDude, and I'm sure you made a positive difference in that woman's day. (I've seen people rage at the attendant in the gas station about the increase in gas prices. The attendant there probably makes minimum wage and has just as much trouble affording the gas required for him to get to work as the rest of us do!) |
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09 Mar 12 - 11:26 AM (#3320481) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: Little Hawk Well done, olddude. We work small miracles in just the way you have described, by being kind to people. |
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09 Mar 12 - 11:44 AM (#3320490) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: LilyFestre When I get my port flushed, I like to walk in the back where people are getting people and share some chemo humor....those smiles are priceless and it makes them feel better too. One of my favorite things to do is to walk over to someone who has lost their hair and show them my bald photo and reassure them that their hair WILL come back!!! Women appreciate that.....especially seeing how MUCH hair I have now! They always ask if they can feel my hair and ask how long it has taken. And then the smile. It's not just about the hair but about the hope that comes with getting your hair back. I love to do stuff like that. Great thread Dan. :) Michelle |
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09 Mar 12 - 01:45 PM (#3320526) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: gnu I approach all clerks with a smile and "How are ya now?" and I always try to think of something to say to get a smile out of (most) people. Some clerks that I have become familiar with are most often told a joke I've just heard... never any long jokes because they have jobs to do. Once in a while, even if I am not very familiar with a clerk, say, at a checkout, I'll snicker and say, "I JUST heard this and I gotta tell SOMEone." As well, if the weather is poor but has showed improvement, I work in a quick comment on it as I know what it's like to work 8 hours without a weather update and no windows to see out of. It doesn't take much and it makes me feel good too. |
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09 Mar 12 - 02:32 PM (#3320550) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: akenaton Old dude.....I spend most of my life being nice to old ladies, I'm a builder and our neck of the woods is full of "widow women"...the men seem to pop-off in their seventies, but the auld wifes keep goin' tae ninety, so they like to see a man about the place. You're dead right, a few well chosen words and a nice smile can make them feel like young girls again......and they blossom Isn't life wonderful...sometimes. |
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09 Mar 12 - 03:25 PM (#3320570) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: olddude For sure Ake for sure and it cost nothing to make a smile |
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09 Mar 12 - 03:31 PM (#3320571) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: SINSULL Toll collectors appreciate a good morning or a sincere how are you. I shocked one when I noticed his haircut - lost his ponytail. LOL But most react with a smile. What a crappy job that must be. |
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09 Mar 12 - 04:53 PM (#3320603) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: DebC "It costs nothing to be kind" my Scottish friend Hamish Steedman used to say. I'll never ever forget that and he will always be remembered. Deb |
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09 Mar 12 - 05:03 PM (#3320606) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: GUEST,Eliza How lovely everyone on Mudcat is! If only the world in general was as nice. Big hugs to all the wise and kind folk here... |
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09 Mar 12 - 05:23 PM (#3320612) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: Little Hawk I know a very wise man. I got to know him through some nondenominational spiritual studies. Have known him for about 12 years, and I've never seen anyone with better conduct and more respect for the value of others. He demonstrates love constantly. So...he has this saying that he often repeats: "The way to be happy is to make others happy." (and this usually means in quite small and simple ways...not anything huge) When I first heard it, I sort of brushed it off as being too Pollyana-ish or something like that. In time, though, I discovered that he was correct. I found out by actually trying it! It demands a certain degree of surrender, and that's why it can scare people or put them off when they hear that concept expressed. Something in them would rather not bother. That something thinks it doesn't have enough time...or it's too smart or tough or practical or something along that line. But he is absolutely correct in what he says. And you have to do it to find out. A number of us here have done it...at least part of the time. This is good! ;-D Let's remember to keep doing it as often as we can. |
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09 Mar 12 - 06:38 PM (#3320640) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: gnu LH... how true. My mother has always done so, even when people were mean to her. She always said not to get upset or react in any way but to never forget and never allow the situation to recur. I have come to realize, to an extent, that when someone treats me badly and I react with vitriol or violence or revenge, thinking along the lines that "I don't shit from anybody.", I am the loser in the long run most of the time. Now, I still draw the line when my friends are treated poorly but I have toned down becoming upset personally... to an extent... >;-) |
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09 Mar 12 - 07:04 PM (#3320652) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: Little Hawk Yup. It doesn't mean turning yourself into a doormat. I've seen the man I spoke of bring people up short a couple of times when they were not behaving properly....and he was very decisive about it...and they definitely got the message. But he didn't stop loving them or valuing them. He just made them aware that their behaviour at that moment was not acceptable. This is a matter of judging the behaviour itself, not the person. We have to know when to speak out. That's part of the path to freedom. As your mother said, "never allow the situation to recur". |
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09 Mar 12 - 07:29 PM (#3320662) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: Will Fly Dan, if you're not careful, you're going to turn into a saint, my boy. You don't want to be a saint, do you? Think of the responsibility! You're just too good for own boots. :-) Heck, what am I saying? You've just turned me on to the Dark Side... Elgin... Hamilton... Waltham... No, you're not a saint. You're the devil in disguise! |
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09 Mar 12 - 07:35 PM (#3320665) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: olddude no no saint, I would be very lonely ... all my family and friends are ahem elsewhere |
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09 Mar 12 - 08:29 PM (#3320695) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: Little Hawk Got a quote about that: "a saint is someone who faces their fear" If you do become a saint, you will not be lonely. |
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09 Mar 12 - 08:34 PM (#3320700) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: Bee-dubya-ell I'm always polite to government employees. I figure the ones I meet are proles who get shit on enough by their asshole supervisors, so why should I add to their problems? Insurance company employees are a different matter. Fuck 'em. I wouldn't piss on one of 'em if he was on fire. |
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09 Mar 12 - 08:44 PM (#3320704) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: Little Hawk Not even the one in "Groundhog Day"? ;-D "PHIL? PHIL CONNORS???" |
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09 Mar 12 - 09:37 PM (#3320718) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: Janie Well said, Dan. And for those who are in public service, I'll observe that it also works the other way. Having spent most of my long career as a public servant (and although I now work in the private, for profit healthcare sector, I still think of myself as a public servant) dealing with the public with respect, not taking stuff personally - anytime (and there have been many) when a citizen/customer started out an encounter taking out their frustrations on me, it is not a difficult task to understand the attack is not actually personal, but directed toward what my position represents, even if the the attacker doesn't recognize that themselves. From that place, it is usually relatively easy to convey empathy and not to react to surliness with surliness. It helps if the public servant understands they are a public servant and so do not lead the interaction with surliness to begin with. I will say that I am a bit of stickler regarding service. I expect good service and I expect to give good service. It is possible to not tolerate rudeness from anyone without being rude oneself by being calm and assertive and making respectfully clear one's reasonable expectations to be dealt with respectfully. |
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09 Mar 12 - 10:49 PM (#3320739) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: katlaughing Reminds me of one of my fav. poems: So many gods, so many creeds, So many paths that wind and wind, While just the art of being kind Is all the sad world needs. Ella Wheeler Wilcox Morgan and I have been reading an old children's booklet called Wonder Word, put out by Unity. Each day, for a month, has a special word and spiritual example with references from the Bible (a good book even if we're not Christian!:-) Anyway, one of them was SHINE and part of the instruction was "Remember to shine your light on everyone and everything that greets you today and watch what happens!" He has had some very wonderful days, of late, at school and at our house. Of course, I am his grandma, but I still think just his smile is enough to light up anyone's day!:-) katsmiling |
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10 Mar 12 - 09:59 AM (#3320907) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: Little Hawk That's wonderful, Kat. I'd have appreciated more of that kind of spiritual guidance when I was a child (although my parents did do the best they knew how, certainly, and for that I'm thankful). Anyway, I have made up for it through what I learned later, in my adult years. I find that life just keeps getting better and better...despite an inconveniently aging body! ;-) |
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10 Mar 12 - 11:46 AM (#3320953) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: Dave Hanson Cheesecake. Dave H |
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10 Mar 12 - 01:47 PM (#3320987) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: GUEST,Chongo Chimp Mango Cooler. - Chongo |
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10 Mar 12 - 02:38 PM (#3321004) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: fat B****rd I walked up the steps to our local library today. A little boy of about 5 was holding the door open while his Mum read a notice. I said "thank you" and to my delight he immediately replied "You're welcome" Isn't that lovely. |
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10 Mar 12 - 05:34 PM (#3321056) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: Joe_F "I'm afraid you have the wrong number, but Merry Christmas anyway." |
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10 Mar 12 - 11:40 PM (#3321152) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: ChanteyLass What you did was wonderful, olddude. Also wonderful is how the woman responded. |
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11 Mar 12 - 01:19 AM (#3321166) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: katlaughing My grandson miscalculated the cost of crayons, a notebook and an over-sized calculator ($1.49 for the latter!) when he went to pay and came up $1.27 short. I didn't have any cash, nor my debit card with me and was going to make him put something back when the young man who was clerking, took out a dollar of his own plus change and said no problem! My grandson was surprised and said thank you, but he didn't really catch exactly what the young man had done until we got out to the car and we told "Papa." I thought we should pay the clerk back so we got a dollar in cash and went back. Morgan was a bit embarrassed, so we had a teaching moment about "paying it forward" and returning a kindness. He still was nervous, but went in and came back out with the dollar. The young man told him to keep it. So he got a double thank you from Morgan and Morgan got a great lesson in kindness. It's good to know there are young people such as him in the world. |
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11 Mar 12 - 08:30 AM (#3321245) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: GUEST,Chongo Chimp Thinkin' about it here...ya see that kind of open-hearted and innocent kindness shown often in really young chimps and humans. I figger it is because they ain't been hurt by the world yet and they ain't suffered any kinda treatment that made 'em afraid to hold back their best side from others. Which suggests...maybe we are born kind and good inside at the start. Or maybe we came from someplace that is all kindness? That is somethin' to think about! If it is true, we gotta stop now and then and question what the heck happened since? And what do we do about it? You gotta watch yerself on the streets I walk down every day. Just like back in the jungle. There are predators, grifters, and thieves out there, and ya gotta be ready to deal with 'em. But that don't mean ya shouldn't be kind when ya got the chance. Keepin' this in mind, I am gonna tip the paperboy extra today, smile at strangers when I don't have to, and help old folks cross the street. I am gettin' on in years myself, after all, so showin' a little respect would do me good. - Chongo |
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11 Mar 12 - 08:56 AM (#3321258) Subject: RE: BS: Say something nice From: Dave the Gnome Ethics in Gnome (anag.) :D tG |