"How's Your Day Going Today?"

Kindness Magnet #80

“You can’t change the world in a day but you can help everyone you come in contact with have a little bit of a brighter day if you say hi with a smile.” ~ Ramona Brown

Saturday at Safeway

Grocery Shopping

There were three people in front of me in the Safeway grocery check out line. It was Saturday morning, early, and we all had our ‘Saturday morning gotta go to the grocery store clothes and faces on’.

As cheerios, a milk carton, Doritos, and some salad mix inched along the conveyor, the next person in line plopped down the plastic divider and silently started adding their groceries to the belt. It could have been zombie town.

Five of us were clustered within about 10 feet and the only words I heard were, “Do you have your Safeway card?”

How’s Your Day Going Today?

At last. My turn. By now there were more zombies shoppers behind me. Looking the 50-something cashier in the eyes, I said (with a little energy), “How’s your day going today, Jenny?” (I love those Safeway name tags 💚)

It was as if a beam of light suddenly shown on her face. Her eyes sparkled and she smiled. “I’m doing fine,” she said. “Of course, my husband is home waiting for the tree service since that storm last night knocked a huge limb onto our roof. So I’m glad I’m here!” She chuckled.

“Oh, wow. That must have been scary. Is everyone OK?”

“We’re all fine. Just a big noise and now a mess to clean up. Thanks for asking,” she said. “Can I help you get those bags into your cart?”

“I’m good, but thank you. Have a great day….and good luck with that tree!”

Wheeling my squeaky cart away, I heard the man behind me say to Jenny, “Guess you were lucky that tree didn’t hurt anyone.” He gave Jenny a smile. 😀

Hmmm, now what the heck just happened…👀

Gallup Poll

The first week in June, 2023, Gallup conducted the National Health and Well-Being Index. This Index measures our well-being in five categories:

• Career well-being: You like what you do every day.

• Social well-being: You have meaningful friendships in your life.

• Financial well-being: You manage your money well.

• Physical well-being: You have energy to get things done.

• Community well-being: You like where you live.

The Results?

When we greet our neighbors, our overall well-being improves. The more neighbors we greet (up to about 6), the higher our well-being score in all five categories.

Our social well-being has been linked to faster healing, reduced stress, and better engagement at work. You can improve your health and your work just by increasing your social engagement.

What This Means For You

Let’s go a bit beyond just greeting our neighbors. Who else do you come into contact with as you go about your day? Service people? Retailers? Friends? Co-workers? People online? People on the phone?

A simple, “How’s your day going today?” could make a difference in your well-being….and the well-being of others.

For some of us, this might be easy. My husband, for example. He should have been a professional Greeter. “How’s your day going today” just pops out with just about everyone he encounters.

Me? Not as much. A bit of an introvert. I’ve had to work at this. You know….take that step outside my comfort zone. It’s just five little words (well, six if you include the ‘s 😁)….”How’s your day going today”. (with a little energy!)

Which are you? Greeter or Introvert?

It doesn’t matter. You can improve your well-being, your health, and your career with five (six) little words.

“How’s your day going today?”

• Can you list people you come into contact with who might benefit from a ‘How’s your day going today?”

May your week be filled with kindness. 💚

⭐I’d like to invite you to check out my new newsletter, the After 21 Club. I describe it as “A sweet retreat where Friday meets you on the way to life's little pleasures. Reviews, recommendations, and thoughts to share from multiple generations.” I hope you will visit and sign up, if you wish. I’m excited to have a community of multiple generations coming together. I’m still working out the format, so I’d love to get your ideas! Articles come out on Fridays.⭐

From the Kindness Magnet Vault you may also enjoy reading:

The Power of Kindness Begins With One Small Step

Tallaght, Ireland; DAK; and Free Kindness Resources

Check out all of the Kindness Magnet articles here. It’s a fun place to visit.

Kindness Magnet now has readers in 57 countries. If you haven’t subscribed yet, I hope you will join us.