The other day, and what I mean by the other day, it was about a month ago on a Monday. (Not like I was keeping track or anything). I was having literally the worst Monday, which is usually typical for most people's Mondays. I lost my phone, didn't do half of my math homework, was late to class, and to top it off, I received the bird from a very kind driver. I guess I might have deserved it slightly, considering I did pull out a little past the stop sign. But this guy did not have to swerve, matter of fact, he didn't even have to change lanes or drive close to the yellow line. After this guy decided to ever so kindly show me his middle finger, I immediately wondered, "Well what did that do? It's just a finger. Jokes on you, that didn't even hurt my feelings." As the day went on, I constantly thought about this guy. "Why did I have to pull out a little past the stop sign? Why did he have to be so rude about it? Why am I letting this bother me? I should've chased him down and asked him exactly why he thought that was okay." But after I came to my senses, I continued to do whatever it was I was doing. For some reason, this guy stuck with me all week, but why?
As always, I talk to my Mom and Dad about situations that I may not understand. From little to big problems, my Mom and Dad, somehow know exactly what to say. What I appreciate about my Mom and Dad is that they are always pushing me to be a better person. So, I told them about the incident that happened with the nice guy who introduced me to his middle finger. My Dad always tells me how big of a heart I have and how little things such as this always gets to me and it shouldn't. However, this was the opportunity for him to teach me a good lesson and I am glad he did. My Dad said, "Smash, you don't know what that guy was going through. You don't know if he was having a bad day. You don't know if he just found out he had cancer. You don't know if he was in a hurry to get somewhere important. You don't know if he lost someone. You just don't know. You never truly know what someone is going through. Yeah, that is no excuse to take it out on someone else but you just don't know what someone is going through and maybe you were the first person he came across."
About a year ago, my sisters, my nieces, my mom, and I were all at the nail salon getting our nails done. This 86 year old lady started talking to us, asking my Mom every single question that she could ask to get to know my mom, her daughters, and granddaughters. This older lady was so interested in our lives, she literally wanted to know everything. At first, I thought it was kind of odd. I was so ashamed with myself because in society today if someone is nice, that is considered weird or odd. While she was talking, I was literally mad at myself because I allowed myself to fall into the category of what the majority of society thinks. After I brushed this thought to the side, I really enjoyed her presence. She didn't talk about herself at all actually. Literally, she wanted to know about us. As we were getting to the end of our conversation, because we were all getting ready to leave, she told us how blessed we all are and then said. "I probably will not see you again, but I hope you get everything you want in life and I hope you have a great rest of your days." And then we all went our separate ways. The memory that I have of that lady will stick with me forever.
Who you are and what you are doing IS important. Whether it be a bad day that causes you to do something maybe you wouldn't normally do. Whether it be one of your best days you ever had and you decide to compliment someone or say hi to everyone that you come across. What you are doing IS so very important. The decisions you make to today, will affect the rest of your life and the people in your life and the people you cross paths with.
I see on Facebook and twitter a lot about people questioning "Why do people post selfies?" "Why do people post things every day?" "Why do people do this and why do people do that?" This is the kind of thing that drives me absolutely nuts. This is where my Dad's lesson comes into play. That girl that posts selfies every day, she was told she was worthless and ugly every day growing up. That guy who posts a status everyday was suicidal a year ago and wants to help people out as much as he can every day. That girl who posts religious things, about lost her life and thanks God every day that she is alive. Those people that you are criticizing for posting something they did to help someone out or "pay it forward," is just trying to make the world a better place, not trying to brag. We are so quick to share the bad things in the world, but criticize when people do good? There is something wrong with that.
You do not know someone's life. You do not know why people do the things that they do. So why judge them for it? We are all here on earth for a reason. No, that's not to post something on a website for everyone to see. But to make a difference and what kind of difference are we making if we just put others down. What kind of difference are we making by worrying about the little things when there are much bigger and more important things out there? Shouldn't we be encouraging others to express themselves? Shouldn't we be encouraging others to live life the way that they want and the way that helps them get through it?
How you treat others and what you are doing is important. That smile that you just gave to that stranger made him rethink why he was mad and may forward that smile that he received to the next person that he comes across. That smile could save someone's life, whether you know it or not. Kindness is contagious. Every person that you meet is for a reason. I thank the people that are mean to me, that are grumpy, that are rude, because they show me exactly who I don't want to be. I thank the people who show kindness, respect, and overall happiness because they show me exactly the qualities I want to possess. So tell me...who would you rather be? Someone who teaches people exactly who they don't want to be or someone who possesses qualities that other people want. Your choice, your life. I hope you choose to pick the right one and the one that makes a difference.
