Earlier, during my lunch break, I took a trip to the bank to deposit a few checks. Usually I do not really enjoy trips to the bank, as they remind me how much money is actually in my account, or rather, how much money is NOT in my account :(. But today, I had a wonderful experience that I'd like to share.
I firmly believe that fun, quirky people make the world go round. Today, the sixty-something year-old banker lady, Kay, proved to be exactly one of these quirky types. As soon as I walked into the grandiose lobby of the PNC in downtown Bloomington, my eyes were instantly drawn to her neon blue eyeshadow that extended from lid to brow, topped with cerulean mascara. As soon as we made eye contact, she smiled widely and greeted with a "Hello!" almost as vibrant as her makeup and kindly asked, "What can I do for you, dear?"
At first, I assumed her over-the-top friendliness was part a part of some new enthusiasm movement PNC has adopted. Whenever I walk in, I am greeted by at least three, completely insincere men or women in suits. So, assuming her tone was just a part of some new customer retention practice, I murmured a quiet "hello" and handed her my carefully filled out deposit slip and checks. She examined it, noticed my long name, and asked, "So, are you Gen?" Taken aback that she had actually taken genuine interest in me, I said, "Yeah, sometimes. I'm a variety of things, depending on who you ask." As she scanned my checks, she asked me, "Oh yeah? Like what else?" I shared with her that my friends usually just call me by my full name, my family knows me by "Geni," and my dad refers to me as "Lil G." She responded with, "So, G, what names do you like for girls?" I told her of my most recent favorite name, Abby (short for Abigail). She shared with me her favorites, as she continued to process my deposit, and told me that her favorite male names come from the Bible: Jeremiah, John, Luke, and so on. She then asked me, "But you know what the BEST one is?!" Seeing as she was talking about religious names, I took a wild guess: "Jesus?" Her eyes lit up, she threw her hand up in the air and exclaimed, "You go girl! Up top!" I took her invitation and gave her the high five she was looking for. As she wrote down my balance and handed me the slip of paper, she perkily laughed and said, "Thanks Gen, you made my day!"
This cooky lady took what was a mediocre day and made it a bit brighter with her sky-colored eyeshadow and her gigantic smile. Just when I had assumed that everyone at PNC was approaching me with false enthusiasm in order to keep their jobs, I met someone who turned my cynicism into joy.
Sometimes beauty comes into my life at just the right moment and reminds me of my purpose. I want to be like Kay the banker. I want to be able to show people that I genuinely care about them, smile widely, and give high fives (although I don't know that I could adopt the phrase "you go girl!" in good conscience). In my Beat Writers class today, my professor passed around an issue of Rolling Stone that was published right after Allen Ginsberg's death. As a tribute, one of his friends wrote about how he had the ability to make people feel comfortable anywhere he went, and that his sense of humor always found a way to shine through his frustrations with society. What a beautiful way to be remembered--as someone who brought joy to others. Sometimes I get caught up in the stress of daily life, like many others, I'm sure, and I forget how wonderful it feels to make someone smile, even for just a second.
So thanks for the reminder, Kay. You made my day, too.
