I know you’re not going to believe this….but the world is full of nice people. People who don’t even look nice.
This was my week:
Monday…attend a Town Hall meeting with our Republican Congressman. Now, he’s been kind of avoiding these meetings since the %$&* hit the fan. And he’s had quite a few run-ins with unhappy people since the last presidential election. Also, I had some trepidation about going to this town hall. First, my husband was going too. I didn’t know if they would make us sit on opposite sides of the aisle, because we are often that way, even in our living room. Second, I have to be honest, there’s so much anger out there, I was a little scared. But let me tell you, this audience and this Congressman were respectful, intelligent and willing to listen to everything. Well, almost everything, the audience did ‘boo’ one time quite loudly when the Congressman said he had to look at a case-by-case basis for drilling in National Parks. But everyone booed….so I found that nice.
Tuesday–My mom and I were to meet with a representative from the American Legion who was going to help get my Dad’s name memorialized in his home town of Beacon, New York. At the last minute, my mom found the documents we were missing and the American Legion guy no longer needed to help. But this guy was going to come from the next town over just to make sure a Veteran, killed in service to his country over 55 years ago, would be solemnly recognized for his service and sacrifice. Nice, right?
Wednesday–I met with my sister and brother-in-law to help them with some legal matters. Of course they were nice, too. They better be! But the notary we went to at AAA was extraordinarily kind. But here’s the thing, at first glance, she seemed kind of cranky. You took one look at her and thought “uh-oh.” She was extremely thorough, made sure everything was correct, and was not rushing us at all. And she was super nice. As we chatted for a bit between documents, and later, she revealed that she has been a long time caregiver for her parents. When they passed away, she continued, as she does today to go to the nursing home to visit her dad’s roommates. They have no other real visitors. She said it helps her have a purpose and in some ways keep close to her dad. I don’t care what you say…that’s just nice. Really nice.
Thursday–I received an email from a total stranger who heard of me through a class I had taken. I don’t know what pleased me more…that she thought I was funny in that class or that she googled me and I seem to have taken the lessons we learned to heart and put them into action. I think I was just happy to hear from a nice person.
Friday–I received my weekly free email newsletter from Dan Blank at WeGrowMedia, Dan is kind and generous with advice and support to artists of all kinds. The best part of Dan’s newsletter today was at the end. He said this:
What can you do this week to support someone else’s dream? and this:
What small action can you take this week to support the work of someone around you? Something that, if the dominoes fall correctly, will have them thanking you more than a decade later for the profound effect you have had on their life?
How’s that for nice? Do it. You can, you really can. There are nice people all around you, and you are one of them, too. I just know it.
So from now on…laugh and assume everyone you meet is nice…they just may prove you right!
“You Just have to Laugh…..”
©2017 Cathy Sikorski
You never know the effect you can have on someone’s life just by a simple act of kindness, and you never know how far that effect will go. If you are nice to someone, that person might be inspired to do something nice for someone else, and so on down the line. It’s important to pass around kindness!
So true, Kathy…you may never know, and what a legacy to pass on!
You are just perfect! Nice begets nice don’t you think?
I laughed the other day when The grocery store checker asked me how my day was going. I responded with the same question, “My day is great, how is yours going?”…and he told me…in great detail. It was so cute and nice. I loved that a lot. (I’m not so sure how the people in line behind me like it. Hopefully, they were having a great day too! 🙂
That’s adorable! A moment can make a differnce in anybody’s day! Thanks for sharing, Barbara!
There are really nice people in my circle, but I have lost my optimism about the human race overall.
Don’t Carol, there are so many, many more good people out there than bad. You must shift your focus sometime during the day. It’s really important.
I believe the huge majority of people out there are nice. There is a small percentage of stinkers who mess it up for the rest, but most just want to live peaceful, happy lives and get along. (At least I’m telling myself that.)
I think so too, Rebecca. Just wanted to point it out last week as it was just so in my face! And I mean that in a good way!
We all need a daily dose of nice! Thanks for getting the ball rolling … and honestly, you are one of the nicest people I know. <3
Right back at ya’ girlfriend!
Such a wonderful idea……..a blog about nice! It has been a very tragic week for our country. It is often hard to find the nice, when all we see is so much hatred and mean. I, too, had lots of nice happen to me this past week. Thanks for reminding me!
Yes, Ellen, sometimes we just need to look at the other wonderful things going on in our lives!
I am a firm believer that if you look for good, you will find good. But it works better in small bites….doesn’t work as well when there are crowds of haters gathered together in one place.
And yet, I’m sure there was much niceness going on that day….not that it erases what happened. But looking at the nice helps, because it’s all around us.
I love this, Cathy! My Mom’s motto was: It nice to be important. But It’s more important to be nice. I believe this with my whole soul!
Oh my goodness, I love that from your mom….how perfect! That must be why you are a good soul!
Very inspiring Cathy, and as usuall, I laughed. But your right, it is hard sometimes to believe that the world is full of nice people, especially during times like these – or maybe i has always been “times like these.”
It is all around us Toni…the nice, I mean. We just have to notice. It makes each day better, if you can see it!
Brilliant piece. Your week was very much like some of my own and I find living “your” way is so much more delightful. Even my husband has learned this lesson. We were in Canada a few years ago and he wanted to fish. It was HOT, (102) and he wanted to rent a boat, but they were expensive and he’d have to go out early. We saw a couple drive up (wife driving) in a red pickup truck and over heard them talkind about fishing when they came inside. I said my husband should ask him to go with and share costs. He felt the guy might have lost his license because of a DUI because the wife was driving. And then it was a truck from Virginia. . . But I convinced the couple to join us so we could feel it out. Turns out the guy is legally blind from a degenerative eye disease. She hates fishing, but drives him up to Canada once a year. He loves fishing. Husband and man rented a boat together and went out at o’dark thirty to beat the heat and late at night. Never, ever has he had a better time fishing. Caught tons, learned tons and most especially learned the lesson about snap judgements on people. Sorry this is long, but it so relates to your week. Thank you for sharing.
Oh Mary, this is amazing. My husband actually read it out loud to me, because he too was so inspired by it. Our moms were right…never judge a book by it’s cover!
Great advice, Cathy. We are becoming polarized and angry, it seems, and getting back to the basics of kindness is the best way to navigate around the bluster.
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Yes, Barbara, my thoughts exactly. Let’s just be nice. It’s really not so very difficult, is it? Thanks for weighing in!
Love this, Cathy! I truly believe that if you look for niceness/kindness and assume the best about other people, you’re more likely to find it. And you certainly walk the walk!
Thanks, Roxanne, It’s truly there, isn’t it? Every day or so I get a coffee and the cashier is the happiest, nicest gal. She makes so many people smile. How’s that for being in the right frame of mind all the time! Thanks for your kind comments!