Kindness goes a long way

Mufflers are a funny thing.. They tell you when you need a new one LOUD and clear. I got my "sweet angel" Nissan last October and have loved how it's been so faithful to get me where I am going. The only thing was that it really has always made it's entrance known.

My muffler was never quite muffing the sound of me coming. Friday I showed my muffler to my friend who said "you need a new muffler now before this one falls off... starts making sparks and your car blows up". Okay he didn't say blows up part but made it clear it needed to be done. So he took it off before it could fall off and even offered to put on a new one for me today.

Still thankful for the labor I started calling around for the best price on mufflers. This is where my customer service skills came in handy. I have a tip for anyone who really wants something from a service or business. I have found that if you are kind, show respect and are especially thankful for the service being provided you win.

Kind of grumpy in my first few attempts. I called two more places and they all said no we can't get it for you by tomorrow and it will be from $87.00 to $289.00 to get it by sometime next week. I took a moment, said a prayer and called the last place on my list. I called and followed a tip I learned from my boss. She said if you make yourself smile while talking with a customer even when your not feeling it you will sound better.

Smiling... I dialed... Suddenly this gal had one for $65.00 that she would go out of her way to rush in an order for me and would give me a 10% discount. It really hadn't occured to me until later that it was the kindness showed to her and personal interest I showed in her day that maybe gave me an edge to get what I was needing plus a bonus just for being kind.

It reminded me of a song from last summer. Part of it goes "kindness goes a long way, smile at her today".

So today I was thankful for the kind gal at Schucks and having friends who are like McGuiver. You know those guys you give a toothpick and a piece of sting and build you a mansion. My friend who volunteered to do my muffler is like that. He had to modify it to make it work with my car and just knew how to do it. Not only that but he did a tune up on my car too replacing the spark things and whatnot. I watched in awe as a officially legally blonde gal when it comes to cars and learned a bit too.

Being single you need those friends in your life who just invest their knowledge and time. It was awesome because when I left this friend he said my conversation where I gave him some life advice made it where he got as much out of helping me as I gave to him. That is exactly what friendship is all about.

I got to share a bit about being a turkey in the oven with my friend and patience. He doesn't attend Living Water and so I shared with him about Pastor Jon's sermon about being in a process of God working in us. It was about how long it takes to bake a turkey and how impatient we get waiting for it to be done. It's funny how sometimes your giving advice to someone and you think "I so need to hear this myself".

The thing about being in a process "turkey in the oven" is that we are always going to be in a process of something. If we are really truely aspiring to be our best we will always be moving, changing, growing and being transformed.

So a thought came to me.. "Will I ever see my thanksgiving feast here on earth?" Probably not.. It's not very encouraging for the short run to think it will not really ever end. Truely though it is all about the long run and those little victories we make along the way in life.

Fruit: Kindness
Song in my Head: Give me your eyes - Brandon Heath

Verse: Psalm 38: 9 All my longings lie open before you, O Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you. 15 I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God.