I've recently begun doing a simple thing that brings me a lot of joy.
Most of the time our interactions with people working in the service industry (grocery store clerks, drive-up crews, store cashiers) are cordial at best. But they don't go deeper than that. We say our obligatory polite hello and how are you?
But when is the last time you tried to engage one of those strangers in a real conversation, even simple and short? Try to take some genuine energy and have a real interaction with them. If you're like me you'll quickly find the joy in it.
Look them in the eye when you talk to them.
Mean it when you tell them to have a nice day.
Use their name if they are wearing a name badge.
Ask them how their shift has been so far.
Ask them when they get to go home.
Ask them if they have plans for after work.
Offer them a genuine compliment.
The key here is to mean it. Once you ask someone about their themselves they might quickly open up and shed the fake cashier robot mode.
The result for me is happiness. I'm happy that I've connected with someone, even for a short time. And I'm happy to know that I could have been a break in their day and was different from the last 20 customers they served. I hope at least for a second I've made them feel important and listened to.