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A word of appreciation

When CCD advertises their catch phrase as "A lot can happen over a cup of coffee.", Oh boy, were they lying? Not at all.
I got ready & took my half-read book "Attitude is everything" by Jeff Keller to a Coffee Day Outlet, located 3 minutes from my home. Also today being my 'cheat day', I wanted to order a Frappe(a bit more caloric than a regular latte), I went to the counter and ordered one, the sole staff in the counter was not in a good mood, she was grumpy and was not interested to even ask if I needed extra cream or choco flake or anything else. She took my order, gave my change & went back to make the coffee. CCD was nearly packed & I started scouting for a place to sit, since I was alone & the sole purpose is to read my book, I opted for a corner with 2 empty seats. And I started reading my book(I will come to this book review in another post, soon).  Bangalore is completely cosmo, where you can hear quite a lot of languages when you are in any public place. I could hear Hindi, Tamil, Kannada & of course, the never-boring English.

I shut my book down after reading a paragraph and I started thinking about what to write for today's quota in my blog. Across my table, there was a couple, they were talking animatedly in Kannada. Although I cannot understand Kannada completely, it was fun to watch them speak and laugh vibrantly. The staff who took my order came to the couple's table & gave them their coffee and a tart,when she was about to leave the table, the guy tasted his coffee and he turned around and called the staff & said the following "Hey thanks for the lovely coffee, it is full of life and just perfect". This small praise made her day. The grumpy staff became so damn enthusiastic and she thanked him profusely & she was back in the counter, this time with a smiley face. There was no room for grumpiness on her face anymore. I was observing further and I could see the change in attitude towards the forthcoming customers, she was all happy & very much interested in what she was doing and hence the customers were very happy to strike a conversation with her while ordering their coffee.

The point that I'm trying to put forward is, the effect of  "Word of appreciation". See, even a kind feedback  or a mere 'Thank You', has the power to build a series of positive events. When we appreciate genuinely for the service, we are not gonna lose anything. The 15 to 30 seconds you spend in telling what you really feel like will be a boost for that somebody and look at the following events, everything seems to be in order. Just keep this in mind: "Words make experience last".

'Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.'  - William Arthur Ward

Yes, I spent two hours sitting there observing, reading and talking over phone with a Frappe by my side. And when I was done, I clearly know what I would be writing in my blog :-)

And as always, THANKS for reading!

Image Courtesy: Internet

Comments

  1. JulieMarch 23, 2013 at 7:13 AM

    Very rightly put up..appreciation does matters,whether it be a small kid or a grown up:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pavithra RMarch 23, 2013 at 7:44 AM

      You are absolutely right, when you say, age does not matter, everybody needs the boost once in a while.
      Thanks Julie!

      Delete
  2. Sanjay VermaMarch 23, 2013 at 11:21 PM

    As usual ..... a nice read :)
    Yes, you are right about the power of appreciation.... but people are smart enough to see into the false appreciation...... that is appreciating just for the sake of it .... it happens mainly at work-places.
    OR maybe I am nitpicking only :)
    Just had a look about meaning of nitpicking :)
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitpicking_%28pastime%29

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pavithra RMarch 24, 2013 at 12:17 AM

      Thanks for the point, Sanjay! Yes, there are 2 sides to a coin.
      False appreciation is widely prevalent in work places for sure and that can be made out from the person who is the giver of the appreciation, it could be by his/her gesture or the flattery words. But the thinking humans(of course not all) can figure the genuine ones from the fake ones, so we are good, I guess :)

      Delete
  3. ChitzMarch 24, 2013 at 8:58 AM

    Good one dear.. Yeah.. Very true.. An appreciation changes the very mood of a person.. No cost involved gesture that can bring about happiness or smile in a person..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pavithra RMarch 24, 2013 at 9:34 AM

      Thanks Chitz.
      Yes indeed, there is no cost involved in giving an appreciation, if only people realize that! True.

      Delete
  4. Beena.stephyMarch 24, 2013 at 10:30 AM

    Good post dear.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nilu AJuly 3, 2013 at 9:40 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pavithra RJuly 3, 2013 at 11:00 PM

      Ahh Nilu - You had penned a beautiful comment, I was reading your comment - you know what I did - I had a cup of tea in my hand and it slipped, to avoid spilling on my laptop, i have no freaking idea what i did/clicked/flicked, your comment got removed by mistake and there is no way one can recover the deleted comment...I hate myself.
      But at least I read your comment before deleting by mistake.
      Thanks for such a generous comment Nilu, it is really sweet of you to say you wait for my comment on your post - I'm honored to say the least. You have no idea, how much I have learned and improved my cooking from your recipes. Thanks for always being there for me. Even when I don't have time on a particular day, I make sure I visit couple of my favorites(of course you are part of it, dear) no matter what. :)
      And thanks for sharing the post with your hubby, Nilu!! Means a lot to me.

      Delete

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