ZEN AND THE ART OF CUSTOMER SERVICE

So ends another odd week of working at the bookstore. It began like shit. I don't know what was wrong, but I wanted nothing to do with humans on Monday. It happens every so often and when it does, I stay away as much as I can. The one thing I will say for NorCal is the people are genuinely nicer here. Sure you have your random asshole "important" person, but there are fewer of them here. Over all people are just polite. I have rediscovered the power of a smile.

The other day a man asked for a particular author, the name I cannot remember. He began to tell me about the books this author had written. They were your typical 'the world is going to end' books. The one he mentioned talked about how the U.S. was going to collapse. I couldn't help myself and smiled. "Everything is going to end some day," I said. He thought I meant that I agreed with this author. "We're all going to die, aren't we?" He looked at me a little startled. "You're Zen," he stated more than asked. "I try to be." I smiled again and he smiled back. (There's that power.) He wandered off to look for more books of doom and gloom and I couldn't help but think why do you want to read about our inevitable demise? What is the attraction to constant pondering about the end of the world, or atleast our society? Sure, sci/fi is fun, but why worry about this so much that your extracurricular time is spent dwelling on it?

I say this because there was a time when that person was me. I used to worry about everything. Not so much anymore. And I guess I'd have to thank The Art of Happiness. I know I've mentioned this book before, but Christians have their 'book' and I have mine. I picked it up after Monday and browsed through it to pick up some quick reminders. The thing I told that man before he left to find his dose of apocalypse was that I try only to focus on today. I work hard at having a good day and being happy. I do what I can in that day to make the world around me better. If I'm having a bad day, I focus on the fact that tomorrow will be here soon.

And the possibilites for that day are endless and all up to me.