Let me start today's blog, by saying "Don't mind the constant design changes." I'm trying to find what suits me the best right now for this blog. I want the right feel for this blog and everything I write about, and I'm not quite sure I've found the magic combination?
Eventhough I write about health so far 100% of the time, there will be more to it, and I want it to look just right.
Today, like most other days, I of course forgot a lunch when I went to work. This absent-minded act is usually brought on by stumbling out of bed about 20 min later that I would have liked, dealing with an angry or "uber-cuddly" toddler or infant at around 6:00 am; and then trying to rush out the door after I've changed a diaper or two, gotten a breakfast ready for someone other than myself, put an end to a conflict, and attempted to put on a face and a professional outfit. Not to mention, I then need to take on the quest of driving successfully to work through traffic jams and never ending fender benders in a busy city.
I left the office for a half hour and grabbed lunch at an amazing deli here in town that makes home-made food and gets ravaged by anyone close to it's vicinity on daily basis, and then stopped into my local addiction hot-spot "Starbucks" for my usual "Extra hot, lactaid latte".
One thing I've noticed since moving here is that people just aren't as friendly as they are in B.C.. You don't get a friendly smile walking down the street, and generally if you smile at someone, you get one of those looks like "Oh no...What does she want?" It's kind of sad really. Mostly just because we as humans have become so afraid of personal connection and kindness that we can't even accept a warm smile from a stranger without feeling as though our space has been invaded and there's a "personal agenda" attached to the gesture. I, too have noticed I am becoming one these straight-faced strangers walking down the street, actually trying to avoid eye contact with anyone in my path and getting all flustered and nervous if it happens by accident. I've gone from a 3 year old girl who wanted to be a teddy bear when she grew, up to a shy adult trying to avoid human contact. I know this isn't my personal preference either. I LOVE talking to people. This is happening because I'm completely influenced by what I see day to day, and like everyone else, I spend more time sending text messages than talking on the phone or talking face to face with anyone I'm actually close to.
Well, today, and this happened so seamlessly I almost missed it; but this lady's cell phone was dead and she was trying to make a call and noticed her phone wasn't going to give her that option, and a young guy, not much older than myself got up very calmly, walked over and gave her his cell phone and said, "Here, is your phone dead? Use mine."
Chivalry is not dead my friends; It's just been misplaced on a dusty bookshelf somewhere. And really...how hard was that? You totally helped that lady out, because let's face it, most businesses won't even let you use their phones anymore and who carries quarters with them?
Karma will definitely be returning the favor to him, and how extremely rewarding for him?! When we do something nice for people we care about, we always feel good about it. It's fulfilling and rewarding in a way that is only possible by doing something nice. So why aren't we doing this all the time?!?! It takes less time to do a good deed than a bad one, and by doing this you're making someone feel great and that is contagious and always passed on. The energy we get from doing good things is such a positive one, while doing bad is negative and only feeds into our already unhealthy lifestyles.
Instead of being a "typical female" and asking "Where have all the nice men gone?", I'm going to say, "Hey! I know you're out there". The days of door opening, pulling out chairs, and acting like a total gentleman are not gone at all. Seeing today's action completely restored my faith in not just men, but mankind. If that guy could do something like that, than why can't I? Why can't you? Where's the harm in being polite? I think people feel like if they do something nice for someone and that person responds in a negative way that it means everyone responds that way and that it means they should too. This is a very destructive up way of thinking. Try the same kind gesture to someone else and see how it goes. Chances are, they'll be really grateful. And just like seeing that guy do something nice today, it will spark an energy in someone else and now you've got multiple people doing multiple good things. it's like that movie "Pay It Forward". What a fantastic concept! I wouldn't feed a meth addict and bring him into my garage to live, and if my son did that, I may ask him where he's miss-placed his brain that day for putting our family at potential risk, but good manners... you can't go wrong with that.
Anyways....food for thought. Try being nice to someone. Give them a smile, let them use a quarter or your phone, and see how you feel when you watch their face light up as they receive the acts of random kindness.
Create yourself a wonderful day... by doing something nice.
A few years back I was walking through a nice residential neighbourhood (the one where my mom lived for 47 years) with a friend from the Bronx NY, he was freaked out because passer-bys would smile or say hello, hehe, he found this suspicious when in reality it is just normal pleasent nieghbourly behavior.
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