Create a Positive Moment
What if everyone does ONE thing to make someone else's life better today. One that's comforting. One that's filled with joy. One that's helpful.
What if we all Create a Positive Moment today.
Just one. Open a door for someone. Hold it open. Move to the side before someone has to ask. Let someone go in front of you. Shovel the sidewalk just a little further down on your neighbor's side. Smile and say hello to the first person you see. Try it.
You have a cartload of groceries? Let the guy with just one thing behind you go first.
Waiting for that elderly woman to get up the stairs in front of you? Give her your arm and help her.
I'm not suggesting that you give up your valuable time and volunteer 8 days a week. Or donate financially to 82 different causes. I'm suggesting you give someone something that costs you nothing and means everything.
Do you know how much one smile to a store clerk can mean during their shift? Or how much more that smile means to your child when they come home from school after a bad day?
How about answering the phone instead of ignoring it. Did you read that email you just deleted? We spend so much time ignoring the noise in our lives never knowing how it impacts those who create it. Mostly they don't mean to annoy us. Each crackle and hiss often represents just one person. A friend, relative, coworker. Just trying to get your attention. Maybe today, just for today, you could respond to one and give them that moment of recognition.
I have friends on Facebook who post 100 times a day and no one responds. No likes. No smiles. No empathy. No cheers. Sure you read some of it, but you just can't be bothered to respond. Then one day they stop posting and you wonder if they are ill? Did they deactivate their account? What happened? Maybe they got tired of being simply ignored, day in day out.
Then there's that annoying forwarded email that starts with FW: FW: FW: FW: and so on. You don't bother opening it. If you did, you might find a beautiful photo with a short inspirational note that someone in your life thought you deserved. They tried to create a special moment for you, and you were to busy to take it. I know. I'm notorious for this kind of email shrug-off.
With all the talk about civil discourse and rhetoric and who is to blame for what happened in Tucson, we all seem to forget that it only took several moments of horror to shatter our world here. And yes, all those reasons and excuses and finger pointing probably have an ounce of validity, but all in all, it isn't helping. In fact in many cases, the "discussion" about toning down the rhetoric is more heated than the rhetoric. Not helpful. I know. I was part of it. Still am. It's not a comfortable place to be.
We here in Tucson were criticized by some for cheering the other night. For smiling through our tears. We have to. The hurt and anger are overwhelming. And the dialogue here was breaking down. While some preached togetherness, others were looking for someone, something, to blame. And yes, truth be told, we were turning on each other. Letting anger become our only emotion. We needed to refocus. We needed to respect those we'd lost, and those who were fighting their way back. We needed light.
Obama's words were inspiring to many. I can't compete with that kind of prose. So I won't. But I share the sentiment. He offered us a way to find meaning. He created that positive moment we so desperately needed.
You want meaning from this? Follow through on the hopes and dreams of those who lost them on that day. Create positive moments for at least one person you encounter throughout your day. Give at least one person one thing to smile about every day of your life. And you will be able to look back without regret. You will set that example for our children.
If Congress chooses to use the "seat yourself anywhere" policy at The State of The Union Address, they will do more for our nation and our world in what amounts to only of moment of their time to simply just take seat rather than spend an hour with seating protocol. Such a small simple thing. With unbelievable impact.
They will cross the great divide, with so little effort. And create so much joy.
All by creating one simple, positive moment.
What if we all Create a Positive Moment today.
Just one. Open a door for someone. Hold it open. Move to the side before someone has to ask. Let someone go in front of you. Shovel the sidewalk just a little further down on your neighbor's side. Smile and say hello to the first person you see. Try it.
You have a cartload of groceries? Let the guy with just one thing behind you go first.
Waiting for that elderly woman to get up the stairs in front of you? Give her your arm and help her.
I'm not suggesting that you give up your valuable time and volunteer 8 days a week. Or donate financially to 82 different causes. I'm suggesting you give someone something that costs you nothing and means everything.
Do you know how much one smile to a store clerk can mean during their shift? Or how much more that smile means to your child when they come home from school after a bad day?
How about answering the phone instead of ignoring it. Did you read that email you just deleted? We spend so much time ignoring the noise in our lives never knowing how it impacts those who create it. Mostly they don't mean to annoy us. Each crackle and hiss often represents just one person. A friend, relative, coworker. Just trying to get your attention. Maybe today, just for today, you could respond to one and give them that moment of recognition.
I have friends on Facebook who post 100 times a day and no one responds. No likes. No smiles. No empathy. No cheers. Sure you read some of it, but you just can't be bothered to respond. Then one day they stop posting and you wonder if they are ill? Did they deactivate their account? What happened? Maybe they got tired of being simply ignored, day in day out.
Then there's that annoying forwarded email that starts with FW: FW: FW: FW: and so on. You don't bother opening it. If you did, you might find a beautiful photo with a short inspirational note that someone in your life thought you deserved. They tried to create a special moment for you, and you were to busy to take it. I know. I'm notorious for this kind of email shrug-off.
With all the talk about civil discourse and rhetoric and who is to blame for what happened in Tucson, we all seem to forget that it only took several moments of horror to shatter our world here. And yes, all those reasons and excuses and finger pointing probably have an ounce of validity, but all in all, it isn't helping. In fact in many cases, the "discussion" about toning down the rhetoric is more heated than the rhetoric. Not helpful. I know. I was part of it. Still am. It's not a comfortable place to be.
We here in Tucson were criticized by some for cheering the other night. For smiling through our tears. We have to. The hurt and anger are overwhelming. And the dialogue here was breaking down. While some preached togetherness, others were looking for someone, something, to blame. And yes, truth be told, we were turning on each other. Letting anger become our only emotion. We needed to refocus. We needed to respect those we'd lost, and those who were fighting their way back. We needed light.
Obama's words were inspiring to many. I can't compete with that kind of prose. So I won't. But I share the sentiment. He offered us a way to find meaning. He created that positive moment we so desperately needed.
You want meaning from this? Follow through on the hopes and dreams of those who lost them on that day. Create positive moments for at least one person you encounter throughout your day. Give at least one person one thing to smile about every day of your life. And you will be able to look back without regret. You will set that example for our children.
If Congress chooses to use the "seat yourself anywhere" policy at The State of The Union Address, they will do more for our nation and our world in what amounts to only of moment of their time to simply just take seat rather than spend an hour with seating protocol. Such a small simple thing. With unbelievable impact.
They will cross the great divide, with so little effort. And create so much joy.
All by creating one simple, positive moment.
well written, dear
ReplyDeleteI have long been devoted to changing the world one smile at a time. Changing the world, the country, even my town or school is overwhelming and often feels futile. But letting someone else go when I have the right of way, asking the store clerk how they are holding up as lines of shoppers back up, complimenting strangers - what a cool scarf, love the hat, etc.. - and just making an effort for my resting express to be a smile makes me feel like I am making a difference. And when someone else does something unexpected and kind, I take notice and give voice to my appreciation. So while I am not very good about reading blogs :-) I am out there as an active participant in your quiet revolution where politics get shoved into the background and moment to moment humanity matters.
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