Every once in a while, actually even more often than that if you stop to think about it, you have a day when you think it is difficult, nothing could go right, only bad things are going to happen and there’s no hope. Then you wake up and realize it’s all in the way you look at things.
If you look for the flower to die rather than appreciate the blooms in their colorful glory, then you’re missing out on the hours of sheer beauty in that flower.
If you rush through the supermarket picking up the one or two things you need and pass up that opportunity to share a couple of minutes chatting with a friend you happen to see, you’ve got to stop and wonder if what you were in such a hurry for was really all that important it couldn’t want five or ten minutes.
So there are several people I have to thank today for giving me an entirely new perspective on things. They made it perfectly clear that it really does feel good to stop and smell the roses.
The Atlantic Highlands post office was one of those places where today three different folks I met made my level of happiness soar and made me realize it truly is the little things that make the big difference.
This particular post office has not been my favorite. It’s one of the places where the American flag isn’t lowered on days ordered by the President or Governor if it’s a day the office is closed….but the flag remains on staff.
It’s an office that opens later than the Highlands or Navesink offices or is closed for lunch rather than workers covering hours for each other . But today was different.
Late afternoon, with no one waiting in line, Todd, the clerk on duty, took the time to share a laugh, share a story, explain one of the postal service’s many ways of sending letters in great detail, and in general, made a few minutes that would otherwise simply be lost in time and space, a lot more memorable and fun.
Even that got better half an hour or so later when I had to go back to the post office, be greeted by the same good-natured Todd, and retrieve something. Not only did he remember what it was, he knew exactly where it was and lost no time in making light of something that, unretrieved, could have been quite serious.
So when I tried to express enough thanks and met Yogi, the postmaster, I got an idea of why Todd likes his job and is so good at it. Yogi’s his boss, it would seem, but made it clear he doesn’t interfere with Todd’s business acumen. He knows he’s a great worker and knows he doesn’t need to stand over him to tell him how to do his job. There you go! A boss who has confidence in his employee. And it shows. Here again, Yogi didn’t just dash off back to his office, but stopped to share a few minutes of conversation, a couple of stories about doing business, and some great smiles that showed one of the parts of his job he likes best is keeping the customer happy…and he does that by ensuring that at least in this branch of the post office, the job is done right.
Leaving after a few minutes of pleasant conversation, I ran into…almost literally… a former councilman himself in a hurry to get somethings done. But Roy Dellosso did not just dash in and rush out; rather, he stopped to say hello, chatted long enough to hear about, and agree on, the excellence of the postal staff, and shared some highlights of a recent meeting. It only took a couple of extra minutes and Roy was in a hurry…but not so much that he couldn’t take the time to share the beauty of the day.
These were only three instances that highlighted the day, but it made me think of so many others that also happened that day….the neighbor who came out just to say Hi and stayed to make an adjustment on my car; the resident at King James Care Center who got everyone chuckling because she had her Bingo card memorized and could carry on a conversation without missing a trick.
There was the aid who laughed out loud at the photo of her little granddaughter sharing some ice cream with an elderly friend, laughter that brought more smiles to faces happy to hear such spontaneous laughter; the nurse who took the time to explain the extra precautions staff was taking to ensure a resident felt comfortable and assured.
There were the ladies at Portland Pointe who simply enjoy their quiet time of sharing prayers and thoughts with each other once a week and exuding confidence that with a bit of faith, everything always comes out right in the end.
Little things. Unexpected things. Unplanned. But all of them thoughts, ideas and words that managed to fit into even very business schedules .
And each one of those little things made so many others a bit happier and so much more wiling to share that same feeling with others.
Happiness does spread….a minute at a time.
Every Once in a While Every Once in a While Every Once in a While
Every Once in a While Every Once in a While Every Once in a While
Every Once in a While Every Once in a While Every Once in a While
