Power of a couple small words...

I was on the phone yesterday when I got a reminder of just how seldom we're actually kind to other people and how much of an impact it makes when we are.

I had already talked to what felt like half the interns in Washington, D.C. so I was feeling a bit tired of the whole phone thing, but that's a whole different story. Anyway, I called the FEC (Federal Elections blah blah blah) to find some information on PACs and the woman on the line was being very professional but she sounded a bit tired. So during a pause, I asked her how her day was going.

I've been known to embellish when I tell stories, but I kid you not even a little when I say that I could hear her smile.

"Wow... thank you for asking," she answered. "It's going pretty good. Can I say that it's going better now? How's your day going?"

Anyway, she got me some information and then she needed to transfer me to someone else. Right before she transfered my call over she paused and said, "Before I let you go, I have to thank you for asking about my day. No one's ever done that before. I hope you have a great day sir."

This woman answers phones at an agency in Washington, D.C. so you have to imagine she fields a lot of calls every day... and yet no one had ever asked her about her day. That amazes me.

My challenge to anyone reading this is to go out and just be nice to at least one person -- a bank teller, a grocery clerk, your dentist... whoever. I would be curious to hear how many people you can make smile in one day.