This morning found me at the American Red Cross to donate a pint of blood and double unit of platelets. The process took a little bit over an hour plus all of the time to take care of the necessary paperwork. Having an hour sit and chat with whatever staff person has been assigned to you for that day can bring about some interesting conversation. I should point out that I've always thought that the entire staff at the Aphresis/Blood center is very friendly and they really do cater to you as their special guests while they are sticking needles in your arm to take away the life giving substance in your veins.
After talking about my family, her family, the banquet from a few weeks ago, etc., she says to me, "When I first met you, I thought you were stuck up." She assured me that she didn't think so any more and I laughed about it at the time, but it does give me a reason to pause for a little reflection. After all, I'm a people person. I like (genuinely like) people. And I think that most people like me too.
I'm hoping that it was just a matter of timing. I have been going in to donate at 7 in the morning after having worked a mid-watch and just getting off work at 6:30. Maybe it was one of those mornings that I could barely stay awake and the nasty alarms on the machine kept going off to signal that I needed to pump more blood. Today, I was a little more alert and she was very talkative which helped, I'm sure. In any case, I'm sure that I'll be paying a little more attention to those first encounters.
While I'm on the subject of first encounters, I met a woman at my daughter's orthodontist's office yesterday that seem very nice. Her daughter is in band with Hannah and they are relatively new to the area. I asked if they have found a church home yet and they are still looking. When I invited her to Hopedale (my church), she said that they had visited and have been meaning to come back. Though larger than what they were used to, she said that everyone was very friendly and they enjoyed their visit. Attaboys for the gang at Hopedale! I love it when I hear those kinds of things about my church family! I think that they (we) are the best. It is a great place to come together for worship and for fellowship.
So my lesson for the day (and maybe yours, too):
Be good to people. Treat them well. You know the saying..."You never get a second chance to make a good first impression."
John
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2 comments:
Nice thought, John. That's pretty much my philosophy, too - no one has ever improved on the Golden Rule.
This is so true. There is no need to judge or make a decision on whether or not you should be 'good' to someone.
Looking at it from the other point of view, I have so many friends that I count close friends because I had decided on the first meeting that I liked them. They gave fantastic first impressions. Thats what I'm aiming for when I meet people.
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