Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Be The Reason Someone Smiles Today

Every morning I have about a 15-45 minute commute depending on the day and traffic. While driving, I jam out to my latest playlist, sip my coffee and mentally gear myself up for the workday. It's all part of my routine.

I park in a lot that's a few blocks from my office. In the winter, it was grueling. I would bundle up like an eskimo and begrudgingly trudge to work hating every below-freezing second. Now, I walk back to my car post-work sweating in the 90 degree summer heat. Did I mention it's the cheapest lot in the city, yet costs way more than my Starbucks order ever has? (Side-note: I'd like to be the person that owns the lot... so. many. cars.)

Ok, so I'm done being dramatic and whiney. It's actually not that bad and I get good daily exercise from it. I honestly don't mind it too much in the grand scheme of things and if that's the most annoying part of my day, then I realize I have it pretty darn good and I am very thankful for that. 

Anyway, when you enter the parking lot, there's a toll booth with someone collecting the money from each car . For a while, there was an older man that didn't really say much and basically looked miserable every morning... Although I'm not knocking him, because, let's be real, if I was in a tiny booth during negative temperatures at 7am, I would not be so chipper myself.


Then, all the sudden, the man wasn't there and there was a new guy. I normally just roll my window down, hand the person my money and park... it kind of blends in with my sometimes monotonous daily routine. This time, the guy actually said 'good morning' and was so upbeat, polite and shared a smile. It completely caught me off guard and 100% made me smile. The next day, he was there again, and he was his same pleasant self. It's been a few months and each day, he's always so upbeat and happy. Sometimes, he'll tell me I look nice, he always says 'have a great day', and wishes me a good weekend. He's also always smiling.

I cannot express to you how refreshing it is. I can truly say that his enthusiasm so early in the morning, always starts my day off right. I appreciate his up beat attitude and how nice he is as he is usually the first person I interact with each day. It sounds so insignificant but it just goes to show how being happy and spreading happiness can affect others around you. A simple smile and a seemingly insignificant 'good morning' can be all it takes to spread happiness. And who doesn't love a great smile every once in a while? 

So here's my challenge to you: smile at people today and go out of your way to spread happiness in the simplest of ways as much as you can everyday. I am a pretty positive person in general, but I have been working hard to go out of my way to be nice to others (even pre-coffee!!!) and not only do I see other people smiling but it makes me feel good, too. Have a fabulous day! 

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Please also continue to keep in mind that there are a lot of people suffering out there. You've yet to experience this, but I'm talking about people I personally know, who, for example, within the last several months have experienced: the death of a parent, the death of a child, putting a family pet to sleep, learning you have an inoperable brain tumor, job layoff, unemployment, financial hardship... Please try to understand that until you actually go through this yourself, you don't know what it's truly like. In a perfect world, it would be wonderful and beautiful for everyone to be happy. You never know what that toll man could have been experiencing.

Anonymous said...

Couldn't agree more!

The Style Storm said...

Love this story! So true! Thanks for sharing!
The Style Storm
<3, Christina

Laura said...

Completely agree with this! I just moved down south from Boston and at first it was almost jarring how friendly everyone was! It's made me realize that those little daily interactions really do have an effect and how important it is to be kind.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful post on this Tuesday morning and sounds like a great challenge!
Nancy

Dana said...

Couldn't agree more. Something so small can really make your day so much better. I was in Pittsburgh this weekend and something similar happened to me - everyone is SO welcoming and it made me realize how much I love that city ;)

Happy Tuesday girlfriend!

Pink Champagne Problems

Unknown said...

Love this! If I'm tired or in a funk, I always try to remind myself to take a deep breath and smile before responding or engaging with others. It makes all the difference to take that simple step and helps me stay in a happier disposition!

Unknown said...

Great advice!

Erin said...

I love this challenge! Happiness is contagious!

Her Heartland Soul
http://herheartlandsoul.com

Anonymous said...

Love this story! So inspiring, motivating and very meaningful :) Love the content on your blog! Continue showcasing this amazing blogging talent that you have, we all look up to you so much. Much admiration from California <3 Have an amazing week, you deserve it!!

Summer Wind said...

hi anonymous! Thank you for your feedback on this post. Part of my goal of this post is to encourage people to spread their happiness in an effort to make others happy (who may be unhappy). I'm not as naive as you suggest, and have had my own share of hardships, but you are right, I've been pretty lucky in life and I am happy to share my sunny outlook on life with others in hopes that it can brighten their day!

 

© Summer Wind Blog 2017 / site design by kiki and co. / disclosure