I called Whole Foods Market to check on my special order. When the person in that department picked up, he said tersely, "This is ..., how can I help you," quick and with no warmth in his voice. With a smile, I replied, "This is Dick Kazan, how are you ... ?" "Fine, how can I help you?" he responded quickly and coolly.
Several seconds passed before I answered as I calmly collected myself. "Hello, hello," he called out. I then said, " ... when someone calls, it is nice to take an interest in them. That's what I did with you. I wouldn't have asked how you are if I didn't care."
"How can I help you," he replied every bit as terse as when we began the conversation. "If you don't sincerely care about people," I said to him, "There is nothing I can do to change your thinking. The reason I called is to check on an order (which I then identified for him). "It didn't come on today's load," he stated. "It's supposed to come in Saturday. Someone will call you."
Before we finished speaking, I realized I had let my anger guide me instead of good sense. He may be having a bad day. But in any case, he is unenthusiastically giving the response Whole Foods taught him to give. If he doesn't really care for people, I'm not going to change him and he's not going to change me or reduce my enthusiasm.
It is up to me to seek God in each person and help to bring out the best in them. This requires self-control among other traits. When he remained terse, the wise person would have smiled and answered his question, not wasting any one's time or aggravating them. I ended the conversation by pleasantly (I believe) thanking him and it is what I should have done earlier. In any case, I do wish him well and if I see him in the store, I will treat him with kindness and respect.
Dick
Note: In respect of his privacy, I excluded his name
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