Happy Easter everyone!
What a great day to get up in the morning, have a nice cup of tea, a nice hot breakfast, just what a holiday should be like. And then… Off to work! Work on Easter Sunday, I keep thinking that there is something wrong with that.I am actually at work right now, waiting for the laminator to get hot so I can laminate our Family Membership cards.
On some days when I walk to work in the morning I meet a homeless guy, I’ve talked to him a few times and it turns out that he is a great guy who really should not be on the streets begging for money. I see him once a week or maybe once every two weeks and every time I do, I walk over to Tim Hortons, get him a hot coffee and a bagel. That’s what I did this morning, I think starting Easter Sunday with a good deed is a great thing to do!
My friend Heather and I talked about how good deeds, however small or great, a smile or a simple thank you can have a great impact on another person. Of course it works both ways, how being rude and mean can impact other people. This thought brings me back to my Mountainrange. One gets so much further in the world by being nice and friendly, basically doing the basic things right and behaving the right way instead of being (excuse my language) an ass because there is absolutely no need for it. It seems that especially people who are busy at work and have lots of stress don’t have their emotions under control and treat other people not the way they should be treated. I find it sad to see, how most folks walk past every homeless person, shooting them a disgusted look, feeling superior, strong and good about themselves because it is not them who is sitting and begging on the streets. We never know how a person ends up on the streets, I can imagine that most of them do not want to be there, but it is tough to get out of this vicious circle, no job without a home, no home without a job. This life truly sucks.
We never know why a person is grumpy and unfriendly. We don’t know what happened to them, maybe one had a fight with the partner, another is very hungry, another is in trouble at work… I find that almost everyone of us gets so worked up with their own lives, that we stop seeing and treating other people the way they should be seen or treated.
Here’s an example of how an action can affect many people. Let’s start with a cab driver, his wife told him she loved him this morning, gave him a huge hug and said that he means everything to her. He goes off to his job, whistling, because he had a fantastic start in the day. The first lady he drives is a teacher, she didn’t have a good morning because her kids didn’t get ready in time, she has to take a cab to get to school in time and she has to pay for it on top. She looks grumpy and wears a frown. The cab driver won’t let her kick him off the peak of the mountain though (remember?) and tries to cheer her up. Which in the end works (of course), she goes to school happy, in a good mood and ready to give the day a new try. She teaches approx. 100 students this day, since she is happy and in a good mood she is friendly and easy to talk to and the students are able to have great conversations with her. Which makes them happy because they attended a great class. Just imagine she was in a bad mood and all the students (who don’t read my blog and let her poor mood affect them) go home grumpy and frustrated and are quite possibly mean and moody towards their parents. Instead they go home, with a smile on their faces because Mrs XY was great today and they got lots of work done…
You see where I am going with this?
To quote Heather: “People should not underestimate the power of actions, no matter how small or great, in impacting people’s lives.” You never know what chain of event’s one may have started.
It’s a good thing to be polite, friendly, see people in need and maybe even help or at least give them a smile. Just imagine how different the world would be if everyone started to look out for others instead of only themselves. It would move worlds.
Happy Easter everyone, enjoy your break! And maybe you know someone who could use a smile or a hug? A random fact: Everybody should have five nice big bear hugs everyday! Do you get your five? I can tell you from my own experience, it feels good to get a few good hugs a day because it makes you realize that there are people out there who care for you and your well being.