A long time ago I learned that there are people who drain your batteries and people who charge them. After a difficult experience with someone who drained my batteries, I made up my mind to be a battery charger – to leave people a little better off than when I found them. Often just a kind word or a smile will do it. But sometimes I have to bite my tongue so I don’t say something that may drain their batteries.

That’s not to suggest that I think everyone should be blindly optimistic. But it is to say that we should be aware that even small interactions have an effect on people. I’m always intrigued by the attitude of grocery store checkers. In our town, there’s one checker who is a delight. She is always “in the moment.” She pays attention to what she’s doing and has a pleasant manner. There’s another who I avoid. She has a put-upon expression, and clearly the customers are an annoyance to her. I’m sure she wants the paycheck, but she doesn’t want the job.

What the sour gal doesn’t know is that her day would go a lot better if she was nice to people. Her attitude drains her batteries as well as the batteries of the people she checks out.

When batteries run low, confidence does too. But when we encounter a cheery attitude, confidence builds, like when your horse hears the crunch of a carrot. He perks up, and we do too. Maybe smiles are like carrots.