But, I just have to write a little more so I am absolutely sure no one thinks I am a curmudgeon.
I love a smile when it is genuine! I don't want people to be surly, and I am really a very friendly person. If I know I am going to encounter someone, such as a check-out person - even if I am not in a great mood - I try to summon up enough cheeriness to be kind and courteous. But, so often, when I enter a place with greeters, I've forgotten about that feature of their operation, and feel ambushed. That post was written after I went to Meijers very late one night, when I was not only exhausted but terribly unhappy and upset. The greeter said, "Hello!" and startling me out of my reverie, I actually had to fight back tears. I suppose the rule of thumb ought to be - don't go to the store when you are that upset! But, the effort to be friendly was almost impossible, and add to it that I had recently been told by someone who worked at this store as a greeter that their real job is to watch for shoplifters....well, it all seemed to be almost the last straw.
I could just about say I'd wish every person on earth a "nice day" (though "nice" isn't aiming all that high, is it?) and I can even expand that wish to include all the evil people, too. Why not? But, I don't like anything that is FALSE. If someone can be genuinely friendly to every one - and I know some who can - that is LOVELY. But I don't want to see someone do an artificial version of friendly, then turn to someone and say something rude about the same person they just wished a nice day to. And, I've seen that in the check-out lane, too. In fact, I absolutely mortified one of my children one time, by sharing my opinion with an employee at McDonald's who did that to a disabled man. To pretend kindness when you can't wait to say something nasty is false and worse than dignified silence (or even sullen silence) in my opinion.
I take it back - I don't wish everyone a nice day. Rude drivers are exempted. Actually, to be quite honest, I always utter a little interior wish that rude drivers would suddenly be struck with a really bad case of intestinal disturbance.
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