Odds, Sods and Nods: Be That Person

Greetings to all! I hope you all enjoyed a safe, long weekend. The weather was (for the most part) great. Warm and sunny, just remember, you will be wishing for this weather in six months. For those who suffered damage from the storm on Saturday, I wish you well in your repairs and I am thankful that it was not worse.

Before I start on this week’s column, I want to make a correction to my last column. I had put the tag on the electronic version but here it is in print. One of the “Nods” was to my friend Margaret and I had written that she had THREE children and in my haste (note to self; DON’T WRITE COLUMN AT LAST MINUTE) had missed that she and her husband had FOUR wonderful children, one of whom is an adopted little boy who is just an amazing ball of joy and energy.

So now I can get going here. This week’s column is called “Be That Person”.

“Really?” I hear you say. Yes, really. Too often we get wrapped up in living, work, etc., that we forget not just to stop and smell the roses, but to actually plant them so that we can smell them later. Yes, I hear you say, “to every thing there is a season, blah, blah, blah” but I kid you not. If you want to be helpful to others and enjoy what YOU have, be the person who starts the day off with a smile. Be the person who opens doors, who gives up their seat on the bus, who lets the person pull out of the side street in their car, who lets the person at the grocery store go in front of you and your cart because they have only two or three items.

Trust me. It will make you feel good. Not because you can brag to all those around “look what I’m doing” but because it is the right thing to do and it will make you feel warm and fuzzy. Well maybe not fuzzy but still good. Sort of a ‘pay-it-forward’ kind of good.

Be That Person that your kids think you are and (if you are a pet owner) that your beloved spouse/dog/cat/gerbil/goldfish/(fill in blank), thinks and knows you are. It takes so little effort to “Be That Person” and the rewards will come back to you tenfold.

How often we think “Gee, I wish that person would be more considerate” or “It wouldn’t hurt him/her to smile/say hello/be more helpful”. Take them by surprise! Be the first to say “Good morning” or “Have a great day” or “Isn’t today a beautiful day?”

Even if it is raining/snowing/cold out, the fact that you spoke up and changed the tone of the day will make a difference to someone somewhere in your travels. Watch the faces of those you greet and you will see the change come over them. They in turn will take and spread the wealth of your joy and happiness. The Greek philosopher Aristotle said “Happiness is a state of activity”. He was right. If you make it your ‘activity’ to be happy, you will find those around you will be active too.

As you grow older (notice I didn’t say grow up, if you grow up you stop enjoying the child-like side of yourself), remember the words of Rumi, a Sunni Muslim Islamic Jurist, a theologian and Sufi mystic from the 13th century who said “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself”. Be That Person. Change yourself into who you want to be. By doing so, you will find the courage to grow.

As Bobby McFerrin said “Don’t worry, be happy”. For some inspiring words, check out http://greatday.com/motivate/120301.html