A Smile Card Transforms a Rude Clerk

--by patato, posted Aug 28, 2011

I gave my first Smile Card out the other day. I was in the drugstore and asked the clerk for the cheapest lighter they had. She tossed the lighter at me, and rang me up, without saying a word, smiling, or even looking at me.

My first reaction was to think, "How rude," but then I thought maybe she's just having a bad day. So as I was leaving the counter, I left a Smile Card there and said, "This is for you; I think you are having a bad day. All I ask is that you pass it on." When I was exiting the store, I turned back to look at her, and she was looking at me with astonishment, and tears were rolling down her face. I left before she could say anything, but this is just a reminder to me, to us all!, that just because a person is acting rude and hateful does not mean she is normally that way – she might be having one of the worst days of her life – we just don't know.

I also want to tell everyone that this group has brought back my faith in humankind, and I am so happy to have found it and all the kind and wonderful people on here!

2161 Reads

Posted by patato
Aug 28, 2011
Comments (5)

Readers Comments

annjav wrote: I think smile cards may just be the answer to the incivility we see around us. Eureka! You did a good thing, and thanks for sharing it with us!

Bluebell wrote: Dear Potato, you are a sweetheart, why on earth you watch Nancy Grace? We have a smiliar programme in the UK and I have noticed that it can be very addictive to watch others people misery, but the good news is .... we can choose. My TV is never on, probably we watch the odd movie, or the odd the documentary but appart from that the TV is off. We decide were we put our energy, we can put it here :-) at HO or in here http://www.dailygood.org .... or in here http://www.karmatube.org the choice is always ours, and TVs do have a switch off button :-) thank goodness for that :-) Thank you for your loving kindness and for understanding that "rudeness" can just be the mask for suffering. Love and Light and a Thousand Smiles, Bluebell

MakeSomeoneSmile wrote: I think you handled the not-so-kind service in a great way! We never know what battle a person is fighting. When we bring kindness to a situation, especially when most would not like what you did, we truly can change someone's day.

Keep up the great work patato! One of my favorite things to read on HelpOthers is how people use their SMILE cards. Awesome! :)

LJeanne wrote: This is a great reminder to spread smiles and kindness. Peoples struggles come out in ways we recognize as rude or cold, but they may be suffering. You did a nice thing :)

Bluxess wrote: Dear Patato, what you did was her speed check ... on how much her mind was overtaking her ... Thank you for being kind and non-judgmental. That's very essential to help the other learn and move on ... Patato, if you were upset with the world, I think that talks a lot on how humanitarian you are ... Its worth it ... but now that you are in HO, you are sharing your acts and that is in a way, a healing thingee on you, I guess. I am just happy for you. Have a blessed week ahead. Bluxess.

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