Smile…

I always pay my bills at the Rejang Park Post Office because of its location. It is very convenient for me to stop by on the way home from my parents’ house to my own, but since they started paying the RM600 rebate to motorists, the place has been very crowded and I am sure things are not easy for the personnel there and more often than not, tempers are wearing thin. In fact, the situation got even worse when they started renovating the Sibu General Office in the town recently. The place became very much more congested than what you can see in this photograph taken sometime in June 2008…

Well, sometime ago, I went to pay some bills as usual and when my turn came, I found the Malay lady at the counter very moody and sulking away. Probably she did not have a very good day or it might have been the fasting as it was still a puasa month, a couple of days before Hari Raya Aidlifitri. I handed over the bills and the money and after she had finished processing everything and was returning the bills to me, I smiled at her and said, “Thank you very much. Selamat Hari Raya!” Instantly, a radiant smile flashed across her face and she replied, “Thank you!”

Then, the other day, I went to the post office again. Well, it certainly seems that that is all I do most of time – paying bills, and the terrible weather these days is not helping very much in bringing a bit of cheer into one’s life! They have made some improvements to the place now – there are seats provided and it is now airconditioned. I took my number and waited and when my turn came, I approached the counter. It was the same Malay lady and the moment she saw me, she smiled ever so sweetly and greeted, “Happy New Year!”

Somehow, the dark, cloudy and very gloomy weather did not seem so bad after all. That is all it takes to brighten up someone’s day – a friendly greeting and one warm smile…..