Smile.....life is good

I have an uncanny knack for hiding my feelings and carrying on in the real world. I can be having the blackest day in my head, feeling low and discouraged or even mean and sour but when I encounter another human I turn it off and engage them as I would normally. I don't feel the need for validation of my morose attitude towards the world and I don't mope around taking solace that others care by saying things like, "what's got you down?" or "who pissed in your Wheaties this morning?" I do this with everyone; family, friends, grocery clerks, whomever I come into contact with and this becomes especially handy in my line of work.

Some sales reps look at their day to day work as a sort of performance and they are on stage in front of clients. I suppose this is true to an extent, but I don't ever want to be disingenuous with clients because I have to cultivate the relationship and I'd certainly rather do this on the merit of my true personality than an act that I have to revive on each visit. In doing this, I have forged true friendships along with strong and successful business relationships that benefit both parties.

Today, I had a day in which I can only describe myself as non-plussed. I wasn't down or depressed, but I wasn't especially happy or excited either. I had a really good workout this morning and a healthy breakfast before working for a while in my home office. Then it was off to a couple of accounts and then maybe pick up the new Heaven and Hell live CD if there was time. I moved through the day like an efficient machine, but as I look back, I find that there was little range in my emotions. Sort of a flat line on the monitor.

As I entered one of my accounts to visit one of my favorite new clients, I changed my internal attitude to greet her. She came out from one of the back offices just beaming. (I was handling something for her that was "saving the day"). She thanked me and said that she was glad to see me, not just for the service, but that I always brighten her day because I'm so pleasant and personable. She added that she was having a somewhat "blah" day where she felt like she was just going through the motions and looked forward to our meeting because she knew that she'd at least have one positive experience today.

I was a bit stunned. I knew that I was in my typical persona, but had no idea that I made that sort of impression on anyone. Ironically, she'd had the same exact effect on me, not because of her compliment, but due to her demeanor. My day instantly got better and my outlook improved a little. We both chatted for a few minutes before I let her return to work. She gave me a really warm smile as we said goodbye. Outside, I glanced up and saw her through the window and waved good-bye with a little flick of the wrist. She noticed me, straighted her back and waved back with enthusiasm and a big grin.

I got in my truck and started to head home. I had a stupid smile on my face. What a difference a little human interaction can make. I began to form cliche thoughts regarding how we humans treat each other. Why not be nice? Why do some people go out of their way to negatively affect someone else's day? Then onto bigger and more important issues; why do we fight? Why can't we all just.....

Okay, I thought, that's enough of that shit. It will only depress you. So I went to Best Buy and bought the new Heaven and Hell live disc and began to daydream about seeing them in October here in Fresno. Traffic was light and I made good time getting home, all the while blasting those Sabbath classics and still with that stupid smile on my face.

Later at home, I was making dumb jokes and basically playing grab ass with my wife. She'd talked to me earlier in the day and noticed that I was a bit melancholy (she's one to take notice) and now commented on my goofy mood. I didn't mention anything specific, but just said that it turned out to be a pretty good day after all.

Thanks, fellow human.