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June 20, 2010

Kathy Gibbons: Kind words make bad day good

By KATHY GIBBONS Local Columnist

Do you ever have streaks where everything you put your hands on is a little off?

When it happens to me, I know it's temporary — not the beginning of a downward spiral into incompetence. Still, when you strive to do your best, and come up short, it can shake your confidence. I always try to learn from it, but guess I thought I should have learned all the lessons there are to learn by now. Not so, apparently.

So I had a few days like that. First came a meeting where a project a coworker and I had prepared was met with tepid response by the people we'd prepared it for. We'd been certain that they wanted one thing when in fact, they wanted something else. But not to worry, with a clearer understanding, we'll hit the mark on the next round. Still, I'd rather please the first time.

The following day, I had a meeting out of town, and so pulled out a file with information I'd need for it. I also stacked several other files on top to take for another purpose.

Somehow, while gathering the pile to leave, I left the most important one behind. Of course, I didn't realize it until I arrived and it wasn't there.

On top of that, I was wearing a skirt I hadn't worn in a few years — and too late, remembered why. It's sheer, so requires a slip. But the slip was longer than the skirt, and kept sliding down. Plus I've been struggling with 10 extra pounds. Plus it was muggy, which makes my hair frizzy. Plus I was flustered about the file. I felt ill prepared, which was only reinforced when, during the meeting, I was asked a question I couldn't answer — the information was in the file. Then we went for an impromptu tour of the facility this project involved and it was all I could do to keep the slip aloft.

Driving north later, I was frustrated. I felt frumpy. Hot. Still in my work clothes, I couldn't wait to get home and change.

Close to Traverse City, I stopped at a convenience store to buy a Record-Eagle. Hiking up my slip, I went inside.

Two men were standing there when I walked in. One, in a UPS uniform, looked at me and said, "Don't you look nice tonight!"

Stunned, I sputtered, "Wow … thanks."

I went back to my car with a new lilt to my step, reminded yet again how simple kindnesses can mean a lot.

I've retired that skirt. I still hope to lose 10 pounds. You can bet I'll take inventory before ever leaving for a meeting again.

And next time I need to ship a package, you know where I'll take it.

Kathy Gibbons can be reached at gibbonskath@ yahoo.com. For more of Kathy's columns, log on to record-eagle.com/kathygibbons.

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