At the end of another busy week, I had a thought about being friendly to people around me.
Thinking about being nice, and friendly, to those around me.
I was running around this morning, taking care of errands. The bank, the post office, the supermarket, car mechanic, mailbox service, diner, etc... I realized that I have people who I am genuinely happy to see, and who are happy to see me, almost everywhere around me. I was thinking about how nice it is to live this way, and what a positive difference it makes to my day to day life.
This situation didn't just happen because I have lived in the area for a while. I watch plenty of people, who I recognize as being from the area also, who don't have the same kinds of interactions at these places. This situation happens because I choose to actively be friendly to people, at every establishment that I interact with regularly. Not just pleasant and polite, that's simply being a civilized person, but actively engaging them on a personal level, starting from just taking note of their name tag, and using their name, to complimenting them on something, or even sharing a random joke; and over time growing the relationship from there, to the point where we are talking about our respective families, and notable recent events in our lives.
It's not difficult to do, it only adds a few seconds to your interactions, it doesn't cost you anything, and it gets even easier and more fun as time goes on and you get to know those people a little bit better, and you each start to share more of your lives with each other.
Sure, we are all busy, and under a time-crunch, but some of the biggest joys of being alive, and going through this struggle called "life" in the first place, is the interactions between ourselves and the people around us.
Even from the most pragmatic perspective, there are so many benefits from this behavior. People want to be helpful to people who they know, and like, more than people who they do not know. They are more likely to go the extra mile, or give a better break, for those who they know and like. That's a natural fact of the human experience.
And when you are having a bad day, (and we all do sometimes), and you are sick, or unfriendly, or unhappy,or lonely, it becomes a network of people around you who notice that you aren't your usual self, and offer support. Even if that support is only noticing your distress, and perhaps some concern and sympathy, that can make a huge difference to your outlook on the world, and on your situation.
Sometimes these interactions have lead all the way to active friendships, outside of the business interaction, and all of the benefits which having more good acquaintances and friends brings to one's life.
In short, being actively friendly, rather than just simply polite, to those with whom you interact often, is a very easy way to, not just brighten up their life, but also your own life, and in the end, it's what living in a community, any community, is all about for me.
Enjoy your weekends,
(and shabbat shalom to whom it may apply.
)
.
I was running around this morning, taking care of errands. The bank, the post office, the supermarket, car mechanic, mailbox service, diner, etc... I realized that I have people who I am genuinely happy to see, and who are happy to see me, almost everywhere around me. I was thinking about how nice it is to live this way, and what a positive difference it makes to my day to day life.
This situation didn't just happen because I have lived in the area for a while. I watch plenty of people, who I recognize as being from the area also, who don't have the same kinds of interactions at these places. This situation happens because I choose to actively be friendly to people, at every establishment that I interact with regularly. Not just pleasant and polite, that's simply being a civilized person, but actively engaging them on a personal level, starting from just taking note of their name tag, and using their name, to complimenting them on something, or even sharing a random joke; and over time growing the relationship from there, to the point where we are talking about our respective families, and notable recent events in our lives.
It's not difficult to do, it only adds a few seconds to your interactions, it doesn't cost you anything, and it gets even easier and more fun as time goes on and you get to know those people a little bit better, and you each start to share more of your lives with each other.
Sure, we are all busy, and under a time-crunch, but some of the biggest joys of being alive, and going through this struggle called "life" in the first place, is the interactions between ourselves and the people around us.
Even from the most pragmatic perspective, there are so many benefits from this behavior. People want to be helpful to people who they know, and like, more than people who they do not know. They are more likely to go the extra mile, or give a better break, for those who they know and like. That's a natural fact of the human experience.
And when you are having a bad day, (and we all do sometimes), and you are sick, or unfriendly, or unhappy,or lonely, it becomes a network of people around you who notice that you aren't your usual self, and offer support. Even if that support is only noticing your distress, and perhaps some concern and sympathy, that can make a huge difference to your outlook on the world, and on your situation.
Sometimes these interactions have lead all the way to active friendships, outside of the business interaction, and all of the benefits which having more good acquaintances and friends brings to one's life.
In short, being actively friendly, rather than just simply polite, to those with whom you interact often, is a very easy way to, not just brighten up their life, but also your own life, and in the end, it's what living in a community, any community, is all about for me.
Enjoy your weekends,
(and shabbat shalom to whom it may apply.
).
Comment