How nice are you?

I like to think of Britain as the nerdy skinny cousin of the World. Nobody really takes it seriously until it becomes hellbent of revenge and kicks ass. We've done it twice before, so stop laughing at us. We're a laid-back Nation and will laugh at ourselves but we are proud and defiant that we can be better than our current state and will do all we can to do so.

I do have a point, don't worry. After reading Danny Wallace's latest piece in Shortlist magazine I began to wonder, how nice is too nice? His piece is about the over-thanking of a customer to a waiter and I flipped it on it's head. I am forever thanking customers for absolutely no reason at all other than being polite. Serving their drinks, 'One coke and a Peroni, thank you', serving their food 'Hi guys, two chicken salads, thank you' It doesn't make any sense. Say I have a customer talking to me about their life I am genuinely interested but when I have my manager staring at me sternly from the other side of the room with food to be ran and drinks to be served I find it awkward to stop them mid-sentence to run off.

I've done it in the past when I've bumped into bins and tables. 'Oops sorry' and when I've left MY phone on the bus and somebody has called me back and passed it to me 'Oh, sorry' like it's a bother to them if I don't have my phone.

I like to think I'm a nice person, but sometimes nice is irritating. I will compliment someones outfit if they look nice, I will tell somebody if their tag is hanging out their dress or toilet paper is stuck to their shoe but I am also a judgmental person which  if we're all honest are all guilty of it. That inferior gene that brings along it's competitive gene. Usually notice mine when I see people getting the jobs I want. Yes at first I am happy for them, they worked hard and deserve it but then so do I so where's my break? I can do this job just as good as them if not better..I then snap my bitchier interior away from reality and realise I am just being human.

Some people might look down their noses to me because I'm a bit weird but let them. There's nothing wrong with being nice and there's nothing wrong with being too nice. Yes it might feel like you're being false but if it comes across genuine then it's fine. I don't just make conversation with customers because I want a tip but because I enjoy strangers (that didn't sound so creepy in my head). I do, I love meeting new people and finding out about them it's just knowing when to stop. They don't care if you're cat has changed it's cat food and didn't really like it at first but now seems to be enjoying it and by the way I love your socks. I'd rather a reply from 'What are your plans for tonight?' wasn't me and Jim have a room in Jurys Inn and plan to shag until the early hours of the morning. This doesn't have to apply with work-life. Opening doors for people, smiling at strangers, letting an old lady sit down in your sit/on your lap or handing somebody's wallet in. It's the little things that you'd like to think people would do for you. For every one arsehole there's five more sweethearts, remember that.