It's amazing what a grin will do

We both knew I was no pretty man. But the cashier and I laughed at her assertion, and my day got immeasurably better.

It’s amazing what a grin and a kind word can do.

Eleven hours earlier, my day began with a crash and a loud, "No!"

My eyelids flew open like cartoon window shades, my teeth already gritting in anticipation of what I would find.

Mornings are often filled with the sounds of angst — booms, thuds, "Where’s my shoes?" "Hurry up, you’re going to be late for school" — but this was the unmistakable 6:30 a.m. reverberation of something breaking on the bathroom floor. There’s a certain echo that differs from something breaking later in the day in the kitchen or living room.

The teen had knocked over her fancy lighted makeup mirror, a Christmas present from her grandparents, and the mirror reacted as mirrors do when they meet tile floors at a certain velocity.

This came only days after she dropped her iPod, a Christmas present from the wife and me, onto the cement floor of the garage and the iPod reacted as iPods do when they meet cement floors at a certain velocity.

I reacted with typical restraint and understanding.

"What the #$%? Are you systematically trying to destroy every-#$%-thing you got for Christmas? No one takes care of anything in this house …"

During my rant, I covered most of the perceived shortcomings of the rest of the family’s effort to craft my notion of the perfect TV household, which includes much less breaking, much more baking and a dog that fetches my slippers instead of soiling my boots.

It was not a good morning. It didn’t get any better.

Work was filled with computer problems, vicious e-mails, threatening phone calls, weird smells from the break room, and people who simply refused to recognize me for the visionary I am.

As the misery piled up and the ugliness continued, I began to reflect on my actions of that morning and the unkind words that flowed from the pater familias. Maybe I was a little harsh on the home crowd. The kid may break things, but she’s kind-hearted and a worthy "Jeopardy" opponent. The wife doesn’t bake many cookies, but she can kick up sawdust on a honky-tonk dance floor, and I’ll take that over chocolate chips most days.

Upon further reflection, maybe I was a lot harsh.

Saddled with guilt, I rode over to the big-box store to search for a replacement fancy lighted makeup mirror, which I planned to present as a peace offering. This proved difficult to locate, since I rarely venture into aisles where fancy lighted makeup mirrors are found.

I asked a clerk.

"Hey, pardner, where’s your fancy lighted makeup mirrors?"

He smirked.

"Try the makeup section."

Mr. Smirky Pants knew his stuff. I picked up a large pink box from the "home vanity collection" and headed for self-checkout, hoping to avoid anymore smirks or judgmental glances at my purchase.

There were no self-checkouts.

Instead, my big pink box and I came face to face with a cashier. She was a young, short-haired woman with tattoos on her forearms. I looked at her. She looked at me. We both looked at the box. She looked back at me and grinned. I realized it was the first smile I had seen all day, and that was mostly my fault.

"You’re an awfully pretty man," she said. "You’ll get a lot of use out of something like this."

"Wore the first one out," I said.

We both laughed. I realized it was the first laugh I had had all day.

I headed home. I owed some folks a grin and a kind word or two. It’s amazing what they can do.

Scott Hollifield is editor/GM of The McDowell News in Marion, NC and a columnist for the Media General News Service.