People Who Brighten The Day

by Marie Vonow (follow)

Happiness (237)      Pets (18)      Kindness (15)      Smile (11)      Feeling Good (8)     

Some workers are good at brightening the day of those they come in contact with during their working day. Sometimes it may seem like a small thing. However, smiling, wishing people a nice day, opening a door for someone, a reassuring phone call and other gestures can do a lot to make the world a nicer place.

It is nice to get onto a suburban bus and be greeted by the driver. Likewise when I get off the bus it puts me in a good frame of mind if the driver says goodbye or wishes me a good day. I am more likely to smile at the next person I meet. I make a point of smiling and wishing people a good day because it actually makes me feel happier and I hope it does the same for the other person. I know there are some cynics who say when shop assistants or other workers wish you a ‘nice day’ they are only saying that because it is part of their training, but it does make me feel good.

Often the person who is friendly has no idea how much their attitude has helped someone. On one occasion I had been through a very emotional and difficult day and caught the late afternoon bus back to the regional city where I was living at the time. The driver had no idea what I was going through. He was a cheerful chap who talked to everyone, young and old. It made all the difference to me that day to have a driver who was friendly and sociable. On other occasions I witnessed the patience and kindness of this particular driver to other passengers.

Hospital staff can be rushed and under pressure. Years ago I was worried about a family member whom I had accompanied to hospital. When I left late at night she was in great discomfort. I really appreciated the sister who phoned me about an hour after I arrived home. She had taken the time to look up my number and phone to inform me my family member was now comfortable and had fallen asleep. I was then able to get some sleep myself. This happened about fifteen years ago but is something I will always remember.

Some staff members in aged care facilities go out of their way to treat the residents as individuals. This makes not only the residents happier but also their families. There may be things done by a particular facility which means some extra work for the staff but residents and families really appreciate these extras. Some residential facilities have a pet. This may be a dog that visits, a cat or a rabbit. Pets are excellent therapy, give residents something to talk about and help many people feel more at home. Taking care of the pet is another job for staff but well worth it because it brightens the day for residents.

I noticed a sign in a local shop saying a staff member would put goods in the customer’s car if this service was needed. An extra service like this is helpful especially to older people, parents with a baby in a pram and those with a disability. Extra services like this brighten the day of customers.

Some people give that bit extra during their working day. Martin Luther King Jr said,“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, 'Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.’ ”



# Feeling Good
# Kindness
# Happiness
# Pets
# Smile

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