Decide to have a good day.

This morning, I woke up feeling a little grumpy. Whenever that happens, I think of this story…

On an early morning in October of 2021, Gloria and I sat in a restaurant in Salem, Massachusetts. After making a cross-country flight, walking all over the city the night before, and waking up at 6 AM (it was 4 AM back in Utah), we were both understandably feeling a little grumpy. We sat in silence, waiting for our coffee to resurrect us. A waitress approached the table next to us where an elderly man was sitting. She asked the man, “How are you doing today?” He replied, in what may be the kindest, gentlest, and most sincere voice I have ever heard, “I am having a good day.” His response instantly grabbed our attention and our cloudy moods. Gloria and I locked eyes and smiled brightly at each other. The fog of our grumpiness had suddenly lifted with one man’s sincere response to a common and casual question (the coffee was probably helping, too). It wasn’t just what the man said, it was how he said it. It was still early in the morning, the day had just begun, but this man had already decided he was going to have a good day.

Thanks to an elderly man sitting at a restaurant in Salem, now, whenever I realize I’m feeling grumpy, I change my mind. I decide to have a good day. What a great way to win the next play!