11/15/2012
THE SNEEZE
A few months ago my son and I, with the day's itinerary mapped out, went to catch the train in the morning. At the train station as we neared the ticket machine to purchase our daily passes we saw and heard a lady sneeze.
In office appropriate attire she appeared to be on her way to work. With a sigh of exasperation she drew a tissue from her purse then quickly and efficiently tidied the end of her nose. She folded the tissue damp side in, returned it to her purse and sneezed again. With an even louder sigh, a more pronounced droop in her shoulders, she replicated her previous actions but slower this time.
By the time the twice dampened tissue had been safely stored, my son and I were just a few feet away. With a bit of jovial enthusiasm I said, “That is quite the sneeze you have there. Obviously you have been practicing.”
Only momentarily surprised by the compliment, she adjusted her posture upright chuckling softly. With a warm smile she replied “ Yes I have and a bit too much I think but thank you.”
My son and I bought our tickets and moved on a bit to wait for the train's arrival. After a few minutes he inquired, “You just changed that lady's whole day didn't you?”
“Yes, I did” I admitted.
He went on “Every time she sneezes for the rest of the day she’ll remember what you said and she's going to smile, and you did that on purpose too.”
So I asked him, “Do you think I should have done something else?”
He answered, “I don't think you could have done it any better.”
