I always make it a point to be cheerful whenever I see or meet a friend, a stranger, a store clerk, a waitress/waiter, or talk to someone on the phone. 

I figure that by doing so, I might perchance make that person’s day as it would mine. 

Oh, I know that some may be in a “rotten” mood, having awoken on the wrong side of the bed, or worse, a basically stone-hearted person, and may not respond in kind.  However, whenever I encounter such, I am reminded of a Physics’ teacher of mine years ago. 

She was a wonderful teacher who would easily expound the relationship between matter and energy in one breath. However, she would also, without prompting, digress into something as she did one day. 

She recounted an incident when she was walking down a hallway one early morning. Walking towards her in the opposite direction was someone who she thought she knew.  As that person ambled nearer, my teacher flashed a big grin, saying, “Hi”, at the same time to that person.  Unfortunately, that person did not even move a facial muscle, much less utter a tiny peep, as she breezed by. 

My teacher was slightly disappointed by the lack of response, but quickly internalized it by turning her greeting into a personal one.  One to God. 

She was glowing as she finished relating the incident.  Being Catholic, she even said that she gained an indulgence or two in the process, not elaborating whether the indulgence was partial or plenary.  This “digression” has affected me so much.

I try to start the day with a smile and a good thought.  Carrying that positive outlook throughout the day is obviously good for heart, soul, and mind spiritually and for my health physically.  I am positively poised to encounter people, be it on the streets, hallways, phone, etc.

It was about a week ago when I was on the phone with Chris, an Apple Care Support Tech.  Not only was he very helpful, but he was personable too.  After he successfully helped me solve my iPhone technical issue, I asked him where he was based.  As soon as he said, “Idaho”, I immediately uttered, “Oh, you are a Potato Boy!”  That made him laugh.  In fact, so hard that I helplessly joined him in the hilarity.  He said that his mom would “lose it” if he shared that reference with her. 

The habit of greeting people, “Happy this day or the other” is so ingrained that doing so comes out instinctively.  That, being second nature, does not mean that the gesture is less sincere.  Oh, no!  Far from the truth!

So, I always make it a point to start a phone conversation, “chat”, or message with “Happy _ _ _ day!”.  Knowing exactly what day it is was easy when I was still working, but now that I am a retiree, I have to double check the day’s calendar for precision.

Oh, I sometimes turn the “day” greeting into a song ala “Happy _ _ _ day to you” when on the phone.  Doing so always startles the person at the other end of the line. But more often than not, s/he appreciates the originality and ends the encounter on a good note.  Interestingly, people I call often now know my identity almost right away.

I remember being in a store once.  There was this well-dressed older lady coming towards me.  Noticing her somber face, I told her to, “Smile”, as she neared me.  She stopped dead in her tracks and turned toward me with a surprised look on her face.  The somber face immediately lightened up.  She walked up to me and gave me a big embrace.  She thanked me for the encounter.  She told me that she was so engrossed in thinking about how bad her day was and that my unsolicited greeting made her forget it for a moment.  We waved to each other as we parted ways.

It is always a habit of mine to know the name of the person, either on the phone or at a place of business.  Knowing names of service staff is a sure way of making their existence significant.  Hence, at restaurants, I always ask the name of the waitress/waiter and subsequently referring to her/him on the first-name basis.  And if the name happens to be a title of a song, I attempt to sing a note or two.  “Laura”, “Tammy”, “Mandy”, or “Cecilia” are easy.  “Laura” and “Tammy” may not be familiar to the person, so I encourage her to check it on YouTube. That always gets her excited.

A smile or “hello” sometimes ends up being a longer encounter.  A receptive person usually turns the short gesture into a fun conversation.  That is always true whenever I encounter a stranger who also looks Asian to me.  Once I am sure of that s/he is also Filipino, I always accompany my smile with a familiar Filipino greeting in Tagalog.  That always gets us going with a change in dialect if s/he is from the same Philippine region that I am.  A warm sense of familiarity far away from “home” ensues.  A fleeting smile or hello ending into a minute or two of time is wisely spent.

My smile, “Hello”, “What is your name?, or “Happy _ _ _ day to you”, is always in a ready mode.  My batting average as far as getting the response in kind is quite good.  But, if I don’t get anything, I immediately internalize it as a connection to a Divine Power. My heart being full, nonetheless.  The “opening-a-way” is not a wasted gesture.

My Physics’ teacher’s face and name are slowly fading from my memory now, but her “digression” is forever etched in my mind.  I am forever grateful for it.