Service with a Smile

Since I fell and broke my nose (with accompanying facial scrapes), then had it reset and added the nose splint, I've been a little grumpy, though I've tried hard not to let it show in public. While many co-workers noticed the initial scrapes (so they knew I hadn't gotten plastic surgery after the nose splint appeared), and all have been sympathetic, it's been interesting to interact with the general public and observe how others react. A rare few customer service people have gone out of their way to give me an extra smile and say they hoped I'd feel better. Most have looked away like they're trying not to notice this big white bandage in the middle of my face! Many of those people I've exchanged money with recently (I go to the same grocery store a lot for little things--I'm not very good at shopping for a week's worth of groceries) have no idea how making eye contact and giving me a smile when they handed me the receipt would've lifted my spirits over the last couple of weeks. This particular grocery store I go to has little bells at each cash register for people to ring when the cashier gives good customer service, and I've been looking to ring that bell. Haven't yet.

I'm definitely not dependant on other people for how I feel about myself, but it's made me hyper-aware of good customer service, as well as how I react to other people, whether friends or strangers, when they have some sort of injury. A smile goes a long way!