My family has a strange affection for the Waffle House. Maybe it’s because we don’t have any Waffle House restaurants in Michigan. Maybe it’s because we always make our annual trip to the Waffle House while in Louisville during the North American International Livestock Exposition.

Maybe it’s because we enjoy the entertainment provided by the waitresses yelling at the cooks and the cooks yelling back at the wait staff, right out there for everyone to see. It’s probably a combination; regardless, each one of my adult children light up when we see a Waffle House.

Recently my oldest son and his buddies ate breakfast at a Waffle House during a brief trip to Atlanta. JW convinced them this was a great place to eat and they wouldn’t regret it.

They found a booth and the waitress brought them some hot coffee. When they finally decided on their order, my son started with a waffle and the waitress said, “Yaaasss!” Then he ordered two eggs over easy and the waitress said, “Yaaasss!” He added some toast, bacon and some grits – and, yep, the waitress responded with “Yaaasss!”

His other two friends began to order and that waitress gave them the same reaffirming “Yaaasss!” on every single choice. By the time they finished ordering, they felt like they made some of the best choices of their lives.

After they left, one of the guys commented on how it would be great to hire that waitress to walk with them through life and after every decision they made, hear her saying “Yaaasss!”

A simple breakfast with a kind waitress put these three guys on track for a great day. Who wouldn’t like to have someone standing behind them, reaffirming their life choices, from what to have for breakfast to the toughest business choices?

Maybe you could fill that role for someone else today. Maybe you could stand behind your spouse when they make a tough decision or your child when they accomplish a task, whether big or small, and say, “Yaaasss!”

It’s so easy to tear people down, and many of us always expect the worst responses from others. Maybe we should change it up and give a different response today.

(Yaaasss!)

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Melissa Hart may write to her in care of this publication.