We’ve all heard the saying, “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.” In other words, if you raise a fuss or make a lot of noise, you’re going to be taken better care by the person trying to solve your problem. I was sitting in a waiting room recently getting ready to see a doctor when a person came in who was not in the best of moods. As he spoke to the receptionist, he raised his voice and rudely said, “I’m getting sick and tired of this runaround, and I want it to stop!” Everyone else in the waiting room either raised their eyebrows or rolled their eyes. Yes, he had gotten everyone’s attention, but no one felt sorry for him, and most had made up their mind that they did not like this person. That’s a high price to pay for selfish, rude behavior. Being kind would have gotten him noticed in a far more positive light and would have put the receptionist on his side to get his problem solved. An hour later, as I was leaving, I apologized to the receptionist for the rude person’s behavior. She said, “It’s all part of the job.” I responded with, “I just want you to know that you are loved by a lot of people.” She immediately perked up and enthusiastically said, “I hope you have a great weekend!!” Once again, kindness makes everything better.

One Sentence Wisdom

• “What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?” — Jean-Jacques Rousseau
• “Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.” — Albert Schweitzer

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