when in bloom

     

Early this morning I had a dentist appointment in Gallatin, which was A) a good 50 minute drive from my house and B) was unfortunate because I am by no means a morning person. I made it early nonetheless and had a great visit. While we were talking about allergies and pear trees (her conversational direction, not mine, as I'm not exactly chatty with a mouth full of instruments), she stated they are miserable for her allergies. I don't exactly disagree, but I thought I'd try out a positive attitude for the day to see what sort of impact it would have. I responded with, "but they are breathtakingly beautiful when they bloom!" My attempt failed, though. "They smell absolutely awful," she said. I left it at that, all the while dreaming of the brighter days of spring, despite how sick I might feel when it actually comes around.

All in all, the visit went well and I left feeling cheery with amazingly clean teeth! (There is a reason I drive to Gallatin for a teeth cleaning. In a strange way, it feels like going to spend time with family.)

Immediately following, I had an optometrist appointment in Brentwood, which is about a 50 minute drive the opposite direction. I arrived early again and they were able to see me right away. When I was checking out, I told them it's always a pleasure to come to their office. The ladies in the front seemed to respond immediately to the praise. I went on to say that I've visited offices before where the staff was "not really there" or things just weren't ever done right. One of the ladies said, "We may not always be here either," and they chuckled. Yet they seemed really thrilled to get a compliment.

When things don't go the way we hope or our expectations aren't met, how quick are we to complain or vent to one another? When things are good, we often don't share the goodness! I think it's important to be genuine and honest at all times. Sometimes that means sharing frustration or upset, but we should also be mindful of how blessed we are when those blessings come around.

Personally, when I'm in a funk, I tend to react more often like my hygienist. "I don't feel well" or "this makes me unhappy" then becomes not only my problem, but yours...unless you have an extremely unbreakable or tolerable spirit. I would much rather prefer to impact others in a positive way than its counterpart. Like pear trees and the negative and positive aspects of their growth in spring, it's about perception and how we choose to influence each other. We can be bad-smelling or bloom-sharing. It's not guaranteed to work (like at the dentist), but it doesn't hurt to try!