tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557458849091969678.post2007904915317524994..comments2023-06-15T09:13:45.467-04:00Comments on Liberty's Torch: Simple Kindnesses: A Sunday RuminationFrancis W. Porrettohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862584203772592282noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557458849091969678.post-62725896959516393792015-03-16T11:05:34.348-04:002015-03-16T11:05:34.348-04:00There was a restaurant I frequented in Houston yea...There was a restaurant I frequented in Houston years ago that had a dish I really liked. One day, it was gone. I asked about it, and the manager told me they only had complaints about it. No one ever said they liked it.<br /><br />I sort of worked that into a habit. When I like something, I try to speak up. Everyone complains, but not everyone compliments.<br /><br />As I think back about it, though, what I ended up doing is telling managers when service was good more than any particular offering. When an employee somewhere does a good job, I try to tell them and I ask to see the manager. It's amazing how often the manager looks tense as I approach them and then relieved and happy when they find out I'm telling them something good.<br /><br />Recently, my wife's prescriptions were transferred to a nearby pharmacy when hers had closed. The employees were helpful beyond just making sure we had what she needed. And they were very busy with all the new customers. I told the employee, the pharmacist, and the manager that, while the old pharmacy was good, theirs was better and I was glad we ended up there. I hope I made some days.<br /><br />It was an easy habit to develop because I get something out of it, too - the fun of making someone happy by telling them they did a good job AND a reinforcement of future good service.<br /><br />So, do this - look for people doing a good job and tell them about it. Then tell their boss. Enjoying good service is like winking in the dark. Telling the person makes them feel better. But telling their boss makes the boss feel better and does a service to the employee.<br /><br />I try to look for exemplary service among our contractors frequently, too. I get information from about 50-100/week, so I have a lot of opportunity.<br /><br />And, thanks Fran for the reminder!Weetabixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06106614092497408546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557458849091969678.post-27151581589496548642015-03-15T13:56:35.093-04:002015-03-15T13:56:35.093-04:00I give compliments fairly regularly. Based on you...I give compliments fairly regularly. Based on your piece, maybe this is why I don't make a very good Catholic. Never was much of one for "building them up by tearing them down". Having said this, the Church has gotten a bit touchy-feely and squishy for me over the last few decades. The fire and brimstone that finally died out in the '70s was much more appealing, in an uncompromising way. When they started equating capital punishment with abortion, that's a bridge too far for me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557458849091969678.post-78338501487981372602015-03-15T11:35:03.829-04:002015-03-15T11:35:03.829-04:00Small kindnesses. Thank God.
And thank you, Fran,...Small kindnesses. Thank God.<br /><br />And thank you, Fran, for reminding me.Tim Turnernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557458849091969678.post-58346131264665067232015-03-15T11:01:08.891-04:002015-03-15T11:01:08.891-04:00You've done a couple of videos, promoting your...You've done a couple of videos, promoting your prior novels. So we know what your voice sounds like.<br /><br />It is not, perhaps, a voice for the ages, to move mountains and hearts with the merest casual word. And I have no idea whether you can sing.<br /><br />But even used casually to talk about your books, it's a perfectly adequate one...while employed with full sincerity toward a good and just cause, I can certainly see how it would be truly excellent.<br /><br />That's just the basic facts. There is also, of course, the point about being spontaneously nice to the guy sitting near you who's clearly in a bad mood.<br /><br />Maybe it'll help, maybe it won't. Maybe it'll save his day, or maybe it'll save his life. You'll probably never know. Do it anyway. It certainly won't _hurt_.lelnethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08600824544185328505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557458849091969678.post-32469310264412681832015-03-15T10:41:01.300-04:002015-03-15T10:41:01.300-04:00While I've never heard you speak I'd wager...While I've never heard you speak I'd wager what she heard was sincerity backed by well reflected thinking. It comes through everything you write like a tuning fork. To me it is the most soothing thing I can find in this world.Ron Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08254200694378708747noreply@blogger.com