Smiles Can Go Miles

(I work mostly morning shifts at a mall food court. I love it, because it’s slow and I can people watch, and most of the time when I do get customers, they’re either senior citizens, mall employees, or moms with babies, and they’re all wonderful. I’ve been working there for a couple of weeks when an old man walks up to me.)

Me: “Hi, how are you?”

Customer: “You know, I’m in here pretty much every day, and I see you watching people and smiling and laughing, and it always makes me happy. I just wanted to make sure you know that there’s a lot of bad stuff going on in this world, but if you keep smiling, things will start to get better.”

Me: *beaming* “Thank you.”

(He nods at me and walks away. My manager walks up from the back and grins at me.)

Manager: “Keep smiling, my friend.”

(I’ve been working there for four months now and that’s still the best thing that’s happened to me on the job.)