One of my many pets peeves is rude people. I can understand that we all have bad days from time to time, but that’s no excuse for not being courteous to others. I also understand that these are trying times. People who are worried about what’s going on in the world right now might not have the same disposition they normally would. I get that.

Yesterday I was in a store standing in line waiting to pay for my groceries. I was standing behind someone who looked a little grumpy, to say the least. I know you can’t judge a book by it’s cover, but he just had that look. The guy had “bad vibe” written all over him.

When the cashier tried to make conversation by asking how his day was, Mr. Grumpy Pants replied, “Terrible.” Uh oh, looks like we’ve got one of those on our hands. I was just praying the girl wouldn’t ask him why, and she didn’t. One word out of this guy was enough for everyone in that line. Fortunately the guy only had a few items so it wasn’t long before he was on his way out of the store, free to spread his brand of cheer to the rest of the outside world.

Who knows what makes people grumpy. Maybe this guy couldn’t find what he was looking for in the store. There’s a ton of that going on right now. It can be frustrating.

No matter where I go to do any kind of shopping the people working there always ask me how come I’m always so happy and smiling. It’s simple. I like to be upbeat and friendly to people, even when I’m having a bad day.

In times like these is more important than ever to give someone a greeting and a reassuring smile. That simple gesture might just help get them through a tough day.

I guarantee, if you ever ask me how I’m doing, I’ll never say “terrible.” That’s a promise!