My Week in Review: April 4

Another Lesson from Walt Disney

While wandering Disneyland one day to see how his kingdom was faring, as he often did, Walt Disney noticed an unhappy employee, whose bad mood obviously affected the park's guests. Long touted 'the happiest place on earth', a bad attitude from a cast member can impair that experience.

Walt Disney then laid down the rule that cast members should be in a good mood when they came to work, or at least the appearance of a good mood. And if they couldn't manage that, they should go home for the day.

Earlier this week, I experienced a day of the dreaded Black Mood. It seemed everything had gone wrong that morning, from writing to technology to not having enough time to get done the things I needed finished. Blech. 

I've been at my job as a library clerk several months now and I have always tried my hardest to be happy and helpful. It's not just about doing a good job to me. As a child and teen, the library was my favorite place in the world (outside of Disneyland). There is no where else like it for a bookworm, surrounded by thousands of free books for your choosing and people who indubitably share your love of the written word. It wasn't long before I was on a first name basis with all the employees, a confidant of one of the greatest children's librarians I will ever know, and a weekly -if not daily- visitor. I decided long ago that I wanted to be the kind of library clerk I knew and loved from my experiences.

So when I left for work this Day of the Black Mood, I decided to leave it behind.

Have you ever tried ignoring a bad attitude after you've been wearing it all morning? It's not easy. Frankly, it can feel annoying. But the longer I wore that smile, the more and more genuine it became. By the end of my shift, despite my bad morning, it had been an excellent day.

Bad moods are hard to lift yourself out of, but you can, with a little effort. And you know what? It's worth it. One of my favorite things about this job (other than the whole library thing) is the fact that I can make people smile.

It's easier than you think.

Fab Vocab

Always on the lookout for new fun words, I found two worth sharing

1. Gourmand: someone who loves food and eats to excess or obsessively
2. Obsequious: too eager to obey or please

In Reading News

I finished two books this week:

• Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz, a satisfactory balance of horror and humor, which I rated 4 stars.
• The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood, on audio with the wonderful narrator Kathrine Kelgreen, who seems to be popping up in half the books I listen to. The Mysterious Howling was simply delightful and earned all 5 shiny stars.

This puts my Reading Goal of 2014 at 28/100. Huzzah!

If you want to check out my video for the week, here's a handy link: March Wrap Up + Bookhaul.

What Are YOU Reading?

I've just started The Black Count by Tom Reiss, a biography of Alexandre Dumas' father, the real Count of Monte Cristo.

But what wonderful new tome are you digging into?