Grumpy vs. Kind: My Battle of The Day

I have a pretty good (OK, really good) life overall, but that doesn't mean there aren't things that bring me down. And when I'm down, sowing kindness isn't exactly my default condition ... grumpiness is. But since this Blog is NOT named SowingGrumpiness, I need a technique in my mental toolbox to make sure I have something positive to write about here.

The other day I was walking in an unnamed super-store ... famous for low prices and low wages ... feeling quite grumpy (don't even remember why, now). I was avoiding the friendly eye-contact and intentional smiles that I had been consciously practicing. I just wanted to find my item and get out of the store without having to exchange any "pleasantries" with anyone ... you know, just like I used to be. Then I thought of this Blog and the reasons I started it. I wondered, how on earth could I be kind to the checker, the one human I couldn’t avoid in the store? The checker wasn't responsible for my grumpiness, but I knew that if I didn't change my attitude they might feel like they were.

So here's the cool part of this post ... here's the "brilliant" mental technique I personally invented and fully intend to patent. I paused in the bathroom accessories aisle (another aisle might work, but I haven’t verified that yet) and tried to think of something that had recently made me laugh.  A very funny YouTube video came to mind and within about 10 seconds … WHAM … I started smiling.

(Note: For the Bon Qui Qui fans out there … “I will Cut you”)

 
Humor is the elixir of grumpiness. And what’s great is that it’s available free! People are actually giving this stuff away. There are hilarious YouTube videos, Facebook amateur comedians and countless other sources of laugh-out-loud elixir. We should all imbibe of it frequently and in great quantities, then when we need it we can mentally recall it.

So what happened next … the friendly eye-contacts and intentional smiles were back. I was now ready to engage the checker.
 
I’ve found that being friendly to checkers is an easy way to sow a little kindness in the world. It doesn’t take a lot of time and it doesn’t cost anything. I simply greet them warmly by name, if possible, and show a sincere interest in how their day is going. Thanks to my little … patent pending … mental technique, this day was no exception. I hope the checkers day was a little better because of me.