The stall beside yours turns another person’s success into part of your working day.

Working next to someone makes their day part of yours whether you want it or not. You hear their good hour through the wall of the stall, and comparison arrives without being invited, which is exhausting on a slow morning. It is worth remembering that a busy neighbour usually brings people towards you rather than away, and that the two of you are more often the same weather than opposite ones.

When the stall beside you is thriving, try saying so to them out loud. It breaks the private arithmetic, and it tends to be returned on the days when the traffic is at your end.