From the corner of my eye, I watched as the young girl approached the help desk at the local library. She was in search of a specific book but had not been able to locate it on the shelves. It had taken encouragement from her mother, and something of a verbal push, to get her to ask a staff member for help; she was at the age when it seemed preferable to go without rather than ask for assistance.
The man behind the counter responded to her inquiry with a smile, immediately standing up from his stool and coming around to her side. I listened as he walked her back to a section of the library, mentioning along the way that they should check the shelving carts because just that morning he had seen the book she was seeking and it may not have made it back to its proper place yet.
It turned out that the book was not available; someone else had already gotten a hold of it. However, the young girl did discover a new, previously unexplored section of the library, which opened up a whole new choice of books for her.
All because a man behind a counter took a moment to make a personal connection and show the way, rather than simply giving out the information or pointing in the approximate direction. It took less than five minutes out of his day, but it presented hours of opportunity for her.
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Remember...
In our hurry-up world, we tend to forget about the effect our everyday actions have on other people.
As Mother Theresa once said, "People might not remember what you said, they might
not remember what you did, but they will never forget the way you made them
feel."
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