We had been in line for over half an hour and were finally next in line at the DMV. My son had passed his driving test and we were in the “New Licenses” line. Up ahead at the window was what appeared to be the most unfriendly, ornery, overworked and underappreciated woman who was obviously dealing with an imbalanced hormonal system (i.e. five o’clock shadow). We cringed as she impatiently reprimanded the person in front of us for asking what she must have considered a foolish question.
“Yikes,” my son whispered to me. “I hope we don’t get her…”.
“Just smile and be nice”, I suggested. ”Maybe she’s just having a bad day.”
“Next!”, the bearded lady barked.
I stood back a bit as my son approached the window, with the biggest grin I’d seen in a while. “Goooood Afternoon, ma’am,” he chimed. “How are you doing today?”
The scary lady paused and looked up from her paperwork. (I held my breath.) Her whiskers shifted as her mouth turned upward in a noticeable smirk. “Well I guess I’m ok, young man.” she replied as if she was surprised by the question. (Perhaps she doesn’t encounter many happy people in her work.) “And how can I help you today?”
“I passed my road test and am ready for that piece of plastic that proves it.”
“Well, good for you, young man! I guess we best not keep you waiting any longer!”
As I observed this encounter, which involved her telling my son a joke and showing him a picture of one of her family members, I was reminded of how important it is to judge people on your own experience of them. The old addage, “You can’t judge a book by it’s cover” (even if it does need a shave..) really is true….
Sometimes niceness can go a really long way. Your son sounds very sweet.
Its all in how you raise them, right? My folks were the same with me when I was a kid.