One of my favorite places to go is our local Farmers Market.
After several months’ absence, I was able to visit the well-established venue
the Saturday before Easter. I never mind going there whether I am alone or with
friends. It is such a happy place!
It’s in a couple of old buildings, kind of like barns, long
straight rows flank the not-wide-enough center aisle. Kind of reminds me of
church. The passion for fresh green beans is what spurs me there. There is
nothing like fresh greens. Even when I am feeling weak, I can still snap the
beans from a chair with a blanket on my lap. The smell of the beans simmering
makes me imagine what it was like when my mother cooked Sunday dinner.
Anyway, I was on a mission to collect enough fresh flowers
to make several bouquets for my little abode. I wanted to make a larger
centerpiece for the dining table (a free Ethan Allen table I
picked up in Ohio) and a few smaller little ones for my bathrooms and bedroom.
I love flowers! I love flowers so much that I told me kids that they can put me
in a simple pine box but cover it with mountains of cascading flowers, yellow
roses, especially. I achieved this very easily and moved on to some of the
other booths at my leisure.
It had been a while since I was able to go. I work a lot of
hours, and Saturdays are usually no exception. I hadn’t been feeling well,
either, and going there requires the ability to navigate through throngs of people
carrying their Starbucks and pushing strollers, and dealing with elbow to elbow
traffic can be hard since I may precariously begin to list one way or the other
and it’s hard to explain loss of balance to complete strangers who look at you
with disdain (as though I were just drunk or something, which I am not.)
What I noticed the most though, was that some vendors allow
you to approach and then casually try to strike up a conversation about their
wares or the weather or the fact that you chose to visit their
table/booth. It struck me that the
vendors who bothered to acknowledge me (and honestly, a glance and a smile was
all it took for me to feel welcome) were the ones I bought the most from. It
made me feel like a person. To be acknowledged is such a simple thing.
It occurs to me that perhaps many Leasing Consultants just
don’t get this. How many times has someone come into your Leasing Office and
received no attention, or had to wait many minutes while your office was closed
for a tour or because the staff was out to lunch. Upon coming back to the
office, how many people waiting were even acknowledged with more than a stare
while you went about your business? For Residents and Prospects, a glance with
a smile, can signal the first opportunity to feel welcomed home.
