No...I'm not referring to my children here! A thought occurred to me yesterday while at the grocery store. We humans can be plain, downright rude. And I think most of the time, we're completely unaware of it. As a stay at home mom, I don't all that often get the opportunity to mingle amongst the rest of the world. But when I do, I'm more and more in awe at the bluntness and tactlessness (is that a word?) of people. Every moment I have with a stranger I have an opportunity to impact their day, whether it be in a positive or negative way. Every time I smile at a toddler in a shopping cart, say "hello" to people I pass, or thank a waiter or waitress for their services (even if the service was poor), I have done something amazing. I have influenced in a positive way. And, believe it or not, most people are watching...and most people DO notice. In the grocery line yesterday (before I was even done checking out) the lady behind me began complaining to the grocery clerk. "Well, I don't much like a grocery store that advertises a sale on something, and then doesn't have it.." (Said in the most rude way possible, of course.) Now, you and I both know that the lady whom was checking my groceries was in no way responsible for several people purchasing out the strawberry jam that was on sale for 20 cents cheaper. And I feel awful for people that undeservingly become the target of people's rudeness. I quickly replied, "Oh, really? I don't find that happens much here at this store." The clerk almost looked relieved. In one small sentence I had calmed a storm that was brewing. Amazing what simple words can do...tear down or build up.
Everywhere you turn we are bombarded with complainers and their comments. Facebook lurks heavily with them...from every topic ranging from telemarketers (c'mon...they're trying to make a living, too!) to doctor's offices (if I remember correctly they are human, as well, and prone to make human errors) ...if there's a bad experience, we'll be sure to see it posted on the grand ol' world wide web. Some people are just diseased with sharing bad news constantly. I am tempted half the time to bring it to their attention when I'm reminded ever so quickly that I have my own issues. (My own tongue has been known to get me in plenty of trouble.) And so, I sit back and ponder whether to say something, not say anything, or hit the "delete from friends list" button. Yesterday I chose to say something....to put a positive spin on the not so positive. Every situation calls for a different response, and sometimes none at all. In the grand scheme of life I know I'm not making a huge impact. But, for the sake of the very few around me (including the 3 pairs of little brown eyes that are always watching), I hope I'm at least bringing 3 seconds of optimism in their lives. The good Lord knows we could all use a little more of that each day...
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