'THE POLITENESS PROJECT'---CONTINUED

 I am attempting to remember to put these 'days' in the proper order, that may make it easier to follow....


DAY 4   I COUGH UP A KIND WORD 
At a meeting, a surly colleague is clearly upset that nobody read his report. I apologize profusely for not getting it done and tell him that I know how frustrated he must feel. The man visibly melts. After the meeting he explains how hard he worked on the report and confesses that he doesn't think he's a very good writer. he tells me that he worries that maybe that's why nobody reads his stuff, even though writing for a living has always been his dream.
     He looks slightly abashed as he adds, "I write poetry."
     Suddenly I can see this man for who he really is: a wanna-be-poet. And the truth is that his reports are chock-full of important information, even if they are a little dull. My heart goes out to him and I try to think what might help.
     "Without your reports nobody would know what's going on," I tell him. "They're important. It's just too bad that we're all so overwhelmed these days, isn't it?" He agrees. We end by shaking hands. "Keep writing your poetry," I add. He brightens. "Thanks," he says. I watch him walk away, wondering about all of the other secret lives around me that a little politeness might bring into view.