Sunday, October 25, 2009

Don't You Think It's About Time?

It's time for people to just be nice...myself included. Can't we all just try to be a little nicer? Don't you think it's possible to live life, go throughout our days and still be nice?? What happened to giving people the benefit of the doubt? What happened to common courtesy?

I pass 3 sets of crossing guards in the morning when I take the kids to school. Let it be said that I fully appreciate their duty and the role they play in the lives and safety of the children. There is one particularly serious guard...SHE IS A BEAST.

I saw her screaming at a Mom in a big blue dodge truck last week. The lady in the truck was obviously defending herself and was yelling back through the glass. The guard callously and intentionally turned her back and crassly walked out. The whole thing was real classy and such a great example for the kids. Ugh.

When I got to the next light, I saw the lady in the blue truck sobbing. It was way sad and likely ruined her day. The worst part is that it was all so totally unnecessary. I don't know exactly what happened or why these women were upset but it didn't have to be that way and made me sad. Seriously, chick was doing the girl thing trying to breath and wipe away her tears.

Since that point in time I have quietly been observing people (one of my favorite past times) and spending some time reflecting on my own thoughts and behavior. I cannot tell you the countless examples of careless and just plain rude exchanges I have witnessed. It's appalling really and makes me want to be a better person.

Being nice has nothing to do with who you are, what you do, who you are interacting with or who is present. It has everything to do with respecting others...and yourself enough to be kind, patient and courteous. Stop and think about it. Is it time to moderate yourself? There's always room for improvement and this girl is hopping on that train!

On the B Side: I will definitely be trying harder to be a little bit kinder, softer, gentler and a whole lot more patient in general. Self awareness plays a big role in all of this. Being a door mat is one thing (and certainly not the goal) but treating others like one is just plain wrong and the last thing I want to be is the reason someone else feels like that on the inside.

2 shout outs:

Amanda said...

I totally agree. People are so mean these days. I think there needs to be a moral & manners class taught in school! Kids are not learning how to be nice @ home!

John Boy said...

I agree. Without knowing what caused a particular behavior, it is almost impossible to provide approriate feedback. I believe we need to take the time (if possible) to determine what caused a person to act in a certain way, rather than just judge the resultant behavior.
We all should think about our own behaviors first. Perhaps the Beastie crossing guard had just heard that a child was hit by inattentive driver, or a hundred other possibilities. Or perhaps the woman in the big truck was in the wrong and she was crying because she had almost hit a child.
"Judge not lest we be judged!"
I'm really glad you started blogging again! Love you!