Sweet As Cherry Pie

I went to the DMV this morning. This statement alone can send a grown man to his knees. I had to renew my license plates before the end of the month. So, after gathering all the necessary paperwork (this alone is a monumental task) I headed over to the local office. Since there are just a few days left in the month, there were plenty of other people waiting to be helped. After trying to read and navigate all the signs and arrows and rope things, I picked a lane. The line went pretty quick and the man in front of me was at the desk right in the front of the line. The young lady was very friendly and had small talk with the man. Smiles and laughter were included in his transaction. I was next in line. The man in front of me finished and I was going to get the same young lady. This is how my turn went; first she gave me half a nod to signal that I could approach the counter, and then as I am laying out the pages and pages of paperwork, she types. She then mumbles something about a donation to some fund, and then gives me a total so I can finish writing my check. She gave me a few curt directions and slid my paperwork across the desk. Done.

Don’t fall into the “DJMH” syndrome. If you are helping someone at your business and the next person in line doesn’t receive at least equal treatment, something has gone wrong. I know the young lady had the potential for being nice, and for whatever reason she did not want to share it with me. I ask myself why. I wasn’t being a pain in the bottom, I had all of the documents, I did not cause her any undue stress and yet she shut down when she started to help me. Ok, so don’t do this. I could go on and on, but the moral of the story is try to be nice to everyone you are helping.