It's My Pleasure

Who knew something so simple could matter so much?
I mean all I did was speak a name.
But it made a difference. And I'm going to keep on doing it.

That is, whenever possible I greet my guests by name, but it wasn't until yesterday that I realized the significance of doing so.
I was in the drive-thru, saw the name on my screen, and said, "Good morning, Rosemary!" as she pulled up to the window. And this dear woman smiled a smile soooo big and said, "Oh! You said my name. How nice!" It was an instant friendship at that point, and you would be correct if you guessed the rest of our interaction was delightful.
Later in the afternoon I was at the front counter taking orders when an international student came in for lunch. As I always do, I asked for his name to put on the order and he leaned in and spelled, "X-U." At that moment I recognized this young man and remembered the last time I waited on him. On that day he also spelled his name for me and I attempted to pronounce it. I said, "Zhu?" and he corrected me with an "sh" sound, rather than "z". So yesterday I smiled at him and said, "Shu, right?" He smiled right back, "Yes. That's right!" And the look in his eyes told me he was pleased I had remembered. He was happy to hear his name.

I am not sure what it is about hearing our name, but especially after these interactions at work yesterday I see it matters. I guess in this big, crazy world we feel a little more known - maybe a bit more secure - when we realize someone knows our name.
So, friends, let's make it a point today to let people know we see them. Say somebody's name!