It's been a few weeks since I graced your screens with my ramblings, and I'm truly sorry to anyone who has suffered withdrawals from that.... I've been a bit preoccupied with the monsters in my head and feeling like I'm going around in circles... like my boat is circling dangerously close to the plug hole and I'm trying to stay afloat... and I only have one paddle.... and my boat has a hole and is taking on water... oh and it's raining...
But anyway, here I am, trying to bring a little ray of sunshine into that ominous cloud. Or out from behind it? whatever.
I know I've had a lot of negative kind of posts, and it's really because there's so much heavy stuff on my mind. So today I want to share a nice little story about my day at work! For those that aren't aware, I work in retail customer service which can be pretty unrewarding at times. You've all heard the horror customer stories and seen the retail memes that go around!! But I'm pretty sure I'd get in a whole lot of trouble if I shared my thoughts on some of those experiences.....
So today, this elderly couple were looking for a digital clock with a large display. I'd guess they were in their late 70s-early 80s, I'm not so good at guessing ages but they seemed more of my grandparents generation. The only large display clock I had was pretty fancy - wireless phone charging, bluetooth, usb, clock, radio. And it cost $99.... I showed it to them and mentioned the price and the fact that there were a lot of features that they probably wouldn't use (they agreed!) But the gentleman said if it was all I had then he'd pay the price because his wife needed the large display. And he had that grin that said he'd do anything for her. He asked if they could see it switched on, so I found the box (it was my display and the only one left) and we set it up. Then he asked me to show him how to set the time and the alarm.... well that was a bit of a mission! I even had to read the instructions... but we got it set up and tested the alarm, tuned the radio and tried the volume. Then he asked if I'd mind switching it off and back on so he could have a go at setting it up. So I let him do that, and he tried a few times, wanting to be sure he understood how to do it all. By this time we'd been at it a good 15 mins and I had other customers in my area. I asked if he'd mind if I checked to see if anyone else needed a hand and he was most apologetic about taking up my time and insisted I go while he practiced setting up the clock. Once I came back he was confident he knew what he was doing and he'd take the clock. He and his wife were most grateful for my help and they left with big smiles on their faces.
Sometimes having customers like that can be incredibly frustrating and I just don't have the patience for it! But that half hour I spent with them today made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I don't really know why, I was really just doing my job - serving customers. They were just such a lovely couple and I could tell how much they appreciated my time and efforts. It was so sweet to see this man making sure he knew exactly what to do so he could set it up for his wife. Nothing overly complicated or meaningful to us youngins.... but to him it was so important to get it right!
I've been in my job long enough to know that these customers are few and far between, and I could almost guarantee that tomorrow I'll have a meltdown worthy experience... but I'll still put on my smile and charm for every person I serve, and do my job to that standard I set myself! Because at the end of the day, it is just a job. No one goes out expecting a life changing experience from their sales assistant! I don't set out to to offer life changing experiences.... but if I can simply do something that makes someone smile and leaves me knowing that I've done everything I can for them, then I'm happy.
So you see, I'm not always a negative Nelly. I can see the good in life. It's just so much easier for everyone to find the faults and dwell on them, and exaggerate them! I've had a lot of bad stuff happen, but I can still find a reason to smile. I choose to be happy. I choose to look for the good in the world. There are amazing things going on around every single one of us, every single day! So next time you're feeling like the world is against you, take a second to look around you and find a way to smile :)
What made you smile today? xx
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