Yesterday, I made a quick trip to Walmart, for my mother. Since I only had a few items, I went to the express checkout. I greeted the cashier, and asked her how she was. She glumly replied, “I’m here.” Not exactly scintillating customer service at play. I said, “Well, at least you have a job. That’s a good thing.” She frowned, and said, “I guess so.” A lot of thoughts went through my mind during this briefest of interactions. I thought how much it would mean to me, if I were still healthy enough to be able to work full-time, in the profession for which I had so extensively trained. I thought about how our attitudes are not ever really self-contained. We are affected by even short periods of interacting with one another, whether the results be positive, or negative. We can find find ourselves coming away from a conversation feeling inspired, deflated, irritated, energized, depleted, amused, or intrigued. I also contemplated what might be taking place in that cashier’s life on that day, too. I thought about what I would say to her, about the inappropriateness of her interactions with customers, if I were her work supervisor. Truly, attitude is everything.
Attitude is Everything
Published by doctoraspatient
Hello. My name is Dr. Bonnie Floyd. I am a clinical health psychologist, as well as a woman living with several chronic illnesses. I wish to share my dual experiences, as both practitioner and patient. I am especially interested in providing education about invisible forms of chronic illness. View all posts by doctoraspatient