Make My Day

Everywhere we go we are offered the same advice. People really want us to have a nice day! I have had many nice days in a row. Like George Carlin said I am ready for a crappy day. Yet we still might want to make it a nice day for someone else. I again offer my take on what we can do for others that just might make them a little happier overall.

Showing appreciation for those who serve us would make them feel more human. Look people in their eyes. Smile and use words like please and thank-you. Shake hands when the transaction is finished. Leave a generous tip for good service. Tell a joke! Making a person laugh endears them to you. Just saying how much you appreciate what someone has done for you is more than most will do.

Little things really count when your day has not gone so well. Open the door for other people as they enter or exit. Offer directions or information that you think is helpful. Bring a neighbor their newspaper from their driveway to their door. Let that driver into your lane. Offer a cough drop to someone who needs it or a tissue to a cold sufferer. These little niceties take little to do but mean much more to the recipient.

Finding time to do all the things we must in a day is quite a challenge. Some of these things can be done to help another budget their time. Mowing, raking or snow shoveling an elderly person's yard is a welcome event. Pick up a few items for a friend from the store. Buy a gift for someone else to give a mutual friend for their birthday. Cook an extra meal for a busy person. Some effort on our part can lift a burden from the shoulders of another.

Not every act must be selfless or altruistic. Just building a person up creates positive ripples. If we think back on our lives we will see that many people did for us whether we deserved it or not. We tend to forget many of the little acts of kindness that have touched us. Despite our selective memories we can still be kind to others. We may not get the reaction we had hoped for. It is hard to know just how to react. Do it regardless and let kindness and goodness be reasons unto themselves.