Making the world a more loving place

I went in the other day for a blood draw (everything on the cancer front is still thumbs up) and I got to see my favorite phlebotomist. She told me she is retiring in a few weeks and that her and her husband are moving to a lake house they just purchased. I told her congratulations and that will be great to live on a lake since she is a kayaker. She was surprised that I remembered such a detail about her life. It made her happy that I cared enough to remember. That got me thinking....how often do we treat people like people and not objects? How often do we stop thinking about ourselves long enough to think of people as fellow humans?

The people ahead of us in line at the grocery store, or the car in front of us that is going insanely slow and has had their turn signal on the past 3 miles we see as obstacles to us getting somewhere. That last one is the hardest for me. We see them as people we would rather not interact with. Try to smile at people, talk to people that you wouldn't normally interact with. Help people you don't know. Practice patience. (of course do this with people you do know also). There is no point being rude to the telemarketer that interrupted your dinner. You can be pleasant and tell still tell them no. They are just doing their job. Be happy that it not your job!

If you want the world to be a friendlier place, start being friendlier. A smile may change someones day. If you see a person often, like the cashier at the store, chat, share, smile, and remember them. Nothing makes someone feel more important then you remembering a small detail about them. Don't ignore people, even if they make you uncomfortable.

I am going to work on my road rage. Not really rage though, more of a constant annoyed state while I am driving. The person who cuts me off, or driving 20 in a 40, or or or..... I am not changing reality by being annoyed. I am just causing myself stress. Instead of being irritated and dropping the f-bomb,(constantly) I am going to make a real effort to give them the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps they are in an unfamiliar area of the city. Perhaps they just had a fight with their spouse, or rushing to see a family member in the hospital. Etc. Also, I am going to smile more. It helps me and the rest of the world.