Pathologically Upbeat

There’s this relentlessly cheerful checker at the Kroger where I sometimes buy groceries. In the past I believed that no one could compete with over-caffeinated Starbucks employees in the arenas of wild-eyed enthusiasm and aggressive customer care, but this gal gives them a run for their money. She calls out the people in her line almost like a carnival barker, commenting on their attire, smile, or purchases.

I found myself wondering what it is that motivates some people to be so friendly and optimistic in their workplace. The obvious answer: they just love doing the work they do. Okay, I’m sure that is true for some people, but… a grocery sales clerk? It seems unlikely that she has a burning passion for the act of scanning barcodes and memorizing produce numbers. No, I suspect this happy attitude is one she brings with her to the work she does– it comes from within.

You often hear interviews with successful folks who say, “Love what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life.” “Find your passion and make it your career.” But most of us probably know someone we suspect would never be happy even if they were handed their dream job, and someone else who manages to stay pretty upbeat no matter what work they have to do to pay the bills.

I know when I ran my own company I hired enough people over the years to observe two definite types of people: the objects in motion [which tended to stay in motion] and the objects at rest [which tended to stay at rest]. More often than not a positive attitude seemed to accompany those employees with hustle who were looking for ways to be an asset to the business.

What would it take to make me relate to the world, to my everyday activities, with this kind of positive enthusiasm? I consider myself a fairly happy person: I smile at strangers on the street and am polite to the UPS guy. People seem to perceive me as friendly, or at least nice. But unbridled giddy optimism? I don’t think I could be accused of that too often.

One of my former employees (who was an object in motion, God bless her) had a young daughter who taught me a lot about the power of a good attitude. Whenever I asked “How are you?” or “How was school today?” she inevitably answered (in six-year-old pronunciation) “Gwate!”

What do I say when someone asks “How are you?”

I never say “Great!” Maybe I should. Just hearing her say that always made me feel good. No, not just good… great!

When I was growing up, my mother brought joy and happiness to our home. I look back on that, now that I’m a mom, and think, “She couldn’t have felt happy every second of her life, raising three kids–no mom does.” Yet she created a happy home.

I want to do that for my family. It was a great gift my mother gave us. Too often I find myself feeling grouchy or irritated about something, letting minor problems affect my mood and my ability to create that loving, joyful environment for my family.

I want to do better. I want to rise above small annoyances and turn that happiness dial up a few notches.

But back to my cheery gal at Kroger. I always try to go through her line if she’s working because she’s maniacally friendly and I like her for it. That’s what the coaches call “Giving 110%” (an expression I am clearly not enthusiastic enough to appreciate… because it is statistically impossible.)

So the other day I ran in to Kroger to get just a few things and, as usual, I stepped into her line. It wasn’t until it was almost my turn that I thought “Hmmm… this may be awkward.” I was buying three gallons of water, a loaf of sourdough bread, and a Kroger brand pregnancy test.

See, let me explain: I had injured my foot and  had an appointment with the orthopedic doctor later that day. I knew I’d be having X-rays so- out of an abundance of caution– I decided to buy a pregnancy test. But it was such a foregone conclusion that I didn’t even want to spring for one of the national brands that come with two tests in each box.

Having left home with little makeup and no wedding ring on, I suddenly realized that I looked at worst, desperate, and at best, cheap. (Or just…weird. I mean, who buys three gallons of water, a loaf of bread and a pregnancy test? Who buys a pregnancy test at the grocery store? Why do they make cheap, Kroger-brand pregnancy tests?)

Anyway, my happy-go-lucky, carnival barking checker was just seconds away! I knew she always chatted with people about their purchases and asked if they found everything they needed. “What’s she gonna say?” I was thinking, “Don’t let that impending pregnancy get you down! We have leftover Easter candy on Aisle 3 at drastically reduced prices!”

Well… Kroger’s little bluebird of happiness went uncharacteristically silent as we conducted our transaction. I felt like like I had done something awful; like I had just trampled on a bright yellow flower.

I thanked her and gave her a smile as I left, vowing to try to learn from her and turn on my happiness high-beams more often. I also vowed that next time– I’m buying embarrassing personal items at my local Walgreen’s, even  if it costs a little more. Lord knows I’ve never been assaulted by unbridled enthusiasm there!