C'mon Pollyanna

Everyone is fascinating? C’mon, FGL. No, really. Everyone you want to pigeonhole as dumb or narrow-minded or provincial or radical or reactionary or schizo may not be up to your standards of economics, education or open-mindedness, but they are still complex beings. What made them how they are? How do they see themselves? How do they see the world? How can they interact with other people? How do they find peace of mind? What are they passionate about? Would you ever guess that an insurance salesman is a black belt in Akido? Look how excited he gets talking about it. Even if Akido isn’t your thing, it is so cool to see someone light up like that. And that little place is inside everyone - you just have to find it and light it up.

See? Everyone.

You never know what buttons you are pushing when you interact with someone. Take the old going-postal character. Most of their coworkers have no idea what is roiling and boiling beneath their surfaces. But one day, somebody pushes the wrong button. Is it that hard to smile at someone?

All those little connections we make every day count. Why else do you miss the girl who makes your coffee at Starbucks when she isn't there? Do you even know her name? Or the little old man walking his dog every morning – why do you worry when you don’t see him for a couple of days?

We have the power to make or break someone’s day. Think about it; a nasty cashier can ruin your afternoon, make you feel the entire world is gray and gloomy. Or that good-looking creature who gave you the big smile full in your face and made you feel successful and attractive – did the sun just come out?

Sometimes it’s our looks that push the button – we remind them of their cousin Jenny they always loved. Or their grumpy Aunt Ethel, who always wore that huge floral print which has suddenly come back in style. Sometimes it is our tone of voice or our facial expressions, physical mannerisms that trigger a reaction in someone else.

If you can, why not push the feel-good button? It's the obvious choice.

Comments

[BustersDad]

Great thought and I agree completely! I am baffled to see that so many folks have abandoned the small extra steps that are "politeness" and "courtesy". They do not take much but they really do make things easier.

If you have a minute, you might want to check out the article I have linked in my posting on iPods. And by the way, where are the tattoed, gay, gen-x librarian blogs? They sound intruiging too!

[Louise]

If you're looking for other librarian personal blogs, you might start with this list:
http://www.librarism.com/parade.html

Love the blog so far! keep it up.

[Feelgoodlibrarian]

Thanks, Louise. I'll check it out!

FGL