Last week, I braved the crowds, and took my girls to spend their Christmas money they got from Grandparents. I hate shopping. And I hate crowds. But I did it anyway, because I love my girls. I also love McDonalds . . . . mostly their ice cream. The rest of their food tastes like barf. And we rarely ever get any of that crap. My kids were hungry though, so I decided to let them have some of those disgusting things they call Chicken Nuggets (come on . . . we all know they are not made of chicken).
It was busy. Really busy. There were no tables open except a 2 seater booth for the 4 of us. I had my girls snag it while I ordered them nuggets, and my beloved ice cream, dipped in chocolate of course. By the time I got done, there were a few other tables open close to our booth, but we were okay snuggled in and doing just fine. Also, there were plenty of other people waiting for tables. A kind lady, who was also looking for a table who just had her and her son, asked us if we would like to sit in the 4 person booth, and she would take ours. We said, "SURE!" and slid over to our
way more comfortable booth. She was being thoughtful. And kind. I was grateful.
At our new table, there was a mom with her daughters sitting next to us. They offered my girls the toys out of their Happy Meals. (I am too cheap to buy those things). My girls accepted gladly, and of course thanked them (of all the things I do wrong, I do believe I have taught my children to have good manners). Those girls were thoughtful. And kind. I was grateful.
A few days later, The Mr. and I went to see Les Mis for our anniversary. It's nearly impossible for me to watch a movie without a large ice cold diet pepsi, so we waited in line to get one. The lady in front of us turned around and handed us a coupon. It was for a free bag of popcorn when you buy a large drink. Score. We all know how I feel about popcorn, but I wasn't going to buy any (again, I'm cheap). That lady was kind. And thoughtful. I was grateful.
Rewind.
I have had several people over the last year or so express to me, that there just aren't many good people around anymore. The have wondered why there is such a lack of honesty, integrity, concern for others, and just plain kindness. I'm not gonna lie. I have wondered the same thing myself on occasion. I mean, just turn on the news. All you hear about is calamity, despair, crime, and of course there are a bunch of lying politicians fighting against each other thinking they know whats best for all of us "little people." Its enough to make anyone wonder what our world is coming to. It used to give me a large case of anxiety, until I just stopped watching. (Yes, I still know what's going on in the world). I listen to the radio here and there, But I do my best to avoid things that will make me feel scared and anxious.
Fast Forward.
Back to kind and thoughtful people. The three incidents I talked about above, might seem insignificant to some to, but to me, they were not. I thought about them for days. I still think about them, because they really touched me. Three people, who I have never met, who I will never see again, thought about me and my kids. They offered simple acts of kindness, but the impact they had on me was tremendous. It made me want to be a better person, to be more aware
of people around me, perhaps be more observant and look for
little or big ways I can show kindness.
Today, I took my girls to see Wicked. It was my second time. ( I'm a little behind the times, and I realize most of the world has already seen it). It was just as fabulous today as it was a few weeks ago when I went. This song is my favorite.
I got to thinking about how many people have changed my life for the better. . . . . and there are SO MANY PEOPLE who have. In response to those who are wondering if there are any good people left in the world, I assure you there are. There are millions and millions. . . . and even billions. Sure, people make mistakes. I do. All the time. I say rude things, I can be insensitive and thoughtless, and just plain selfish. I'm human, and so is everyone else last time I checked. But for the most part, I try to be good. I believe that people are good. Not all people, but
most. Of course you rarely hear about all the good in our world on the news. It's shameful, really.
Because I have had so many people in my life . . . . . friends, family, and sometimes complete strangers, who have had such a positive impact on me, I am just going to go ahead and look for more ways to do the same for others. I'm not going to sit around and wait for the opportunities to arise either. I fully intend to create opportunities, you know, get out of my comfort zone and smile at complete strangers, take the time to talk with people instead of always being in a hurry, maybe tell some random lady she is beautiful, write notes of gratitude to those who have been so kind to me in my life, play with my girls more often, make more phone calls to my precious nieces and nephews, etc. There's plenty of kind things to do out there people. Things that don't cost any money. There's really no excuse NOT to be kind. So much goodness to be spread. Imagine how much better our world would be if we all did this.
