One of the simplest joys in life is to feel wanted, truly wanted.
We live in a world driven by commerce and the all mighty pursuit of productivity and wealth accumulation. It seems as though the only business models are all structured on how to get as much money out of their customers with as little investment as possible by the business. There are exceptions out there. Yes, these businesses still need to remain solvent and bring in more money than they expend. And yes, perhaps they are simply very good at pretending to care about their customers. But I have had the opportunity on more than one occasion to overhear training sessions for new employees at our local Panera. The management repeated stressed the importance of being a presence in the community that felt like a home away from home for everyone who came through the doors. I saw no evidence of a “wink-wink-nod-nod” as they delivered the company line. It truly felt to be an earnest company value.
If only more businesses understood the need to greet everyone who walked through their doors as a valued individual…
As with all things in advent, we can only hope and wait.
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