Yesterday I started my new position as an administrative assistant in a financial company. Before leaving the house, I had made a decision to spread, kindness, joy, love, and happiness. You’re probably shaking your head right now, wondering how I was going to pull this off in the world of angry, bitter, underpaid nine-to-fivers. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe that everybody in the work place is miserable or unhappy with their jobs, but according to statistics, eighty percent of Americans are dissatisfied with what they do to keep a roof over their head and food on the table. I’ve been off work for eight months, so taking on a Mary Poppins persona wasn’t too much of a stretch for me. After being laid off, I’m happy to be employed! So I took my little buoyant butt into work and killed my coworkers with kindness.
Most were receptive, but there were a few who gave me that “Wait ‘til she’s been here a couple of weeks,” look. I approached one woman during lunch, gave her a Kool-Aid smile, and said, “Hi, I’m Alretha. Today’s my first day. It’s nice to be here.” She scoffed, looked at me like I had two heads, and mumbled her name. Still smiling, I ignored her gruff attitude and went on my way. The lady who was training me tried to apologize for the woman’s behavior, but I wasn’t fazed by it—not even a little bit. I’m determined that I’m going to have a good time at my new place of employment. I refuse to let the sight of poker faces, averting eyes, scowls, and grimacing bring me down. In the past, I’ve let others control my reactions, but not today. I’m going to spend a great deal of time at work—time that I would love to use writing, but until I get a literary break, it’s all about the j-o-b.
After spending two hours in orientation, I spent the remainder of the day being trained on the phone system and brought up to speed on how my professionals like their work to be handled. In between instructions, I made a point to smile and introduce myself to passersby. Some were a little taken aback by my friendliness and others embraced my flower-child demeanor. I really like the company, so my foray into happy land was relatively easy. By the end of the day, my face hurt from grinning, but my heart was filled with mirth. It’s funny how when you spread kindness something happens on the inside. It seems as if when you choose to be loving, you open yourself to everything good in the Universe. Well, tomorrow’s day two and I’m ready for another day of spreading, kindness, love, joy, and happiness, even if it kills ‘em.
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