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"Pay it Forward"
After roaming through the mall tonight, and observing mankind exhibiting less than admirable behavior during a high-stress time (Ho, Ho, Ho? ) and not being terribly impressed with said behavior, I'd like to offer up some thoughts based on the philosophy of "Pay it Forward".
The concept is simple......simple acts of unexpected and unneccessary kindness; to complete strangers, to friends, to family.
My parents raised me to be a mindful, respectful and polite person. My mother is a genteel soul. I can't recall a single time when she raised her voice above a normal speaking tone (except for that one time when my sisters and I accidentally set the garage on fire, but that's another story for another time. I blame my sisters, they're older and I was impressionable and easily led :)). We were taught to say "thank you" and "please" and "pardon me". I can remember being grounded for behaving rudely. Where has the gentility gone in this world? Where have good manners gone?
Rather than bemoan the lost art of civility, I think I'd rather focus my time and attention on being a better person and "paying it forward" when the opportunity arises.
I had a moment in CVS tonight which demonstrates how simple it can be to walk with dignity and decency. I was standing in a fairly long line of customers waiting for my turn at the register, and an elderly gentleman a few customers in front of me stepped out of line to get a pack of gum...in a moment the line "closed" and as he turned around to step back in line he realized that his place had been lost. I watched him walk back to the end of the line, and thought to myself....Nope, I refuse to join the selfish mindlessness...so when my turn came up to cash out, I turned around and told him to go ahead of me. He hesitated for a minute, then smiled and took my place...and I don't care if I lost a popularity contest with the other customers or not,it was the right thing to do. Right before he walked out of the store,he touched my sleeve and said "Have a nice Christmas, and thank you". I smiled to myself all the way back to my car. And yes, it does feel that good doing something nice for someone else.
Hold a door open for someone struggling to juggle a stroller.... let someone cut in front of you in traffic....smile and say "thank you" , and mean it...... pay the toll for the car behind you, just for the hell of it...donate your time or money to a charity......be mindful that someone else is struggling harder than you are, and may have less to be thankful for than you do, and pay it forward all the time, not just at Christmas.
This Christmas and all year round, I'm grateful for my family, my friends, my job, my health and my life. Pay it forward--every day.
Add a Comment
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Comment by Mary Ellen Shea on December 24, 2007 at 10:08pm
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lmao....
you know what else is weird? The preponderance of folks who can't spell weird....I find it weirdly disconcerting that certain weird words are weirdly difficult to spell....it's been a weird Christmas Art....
:)
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Comment by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on December 24, 2007 at 9:17pm
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You know what's weird?
I don't find that weird at all.
I would find it weird if I did.
Weird, huh?
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I had this weird teacher who had this weird habit of using "weird" every day until I finally got it.
Weird, huh?
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Comment by Tiger Schmittendorf on December 24, 2007 at 1:27pm
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Weird?
I can't believe you used the word "weird" and even spelled it correctly.
May I suggest a different shampoo?
The H&S for Chia pets is causing adverse effects.
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Like em? They just sprouted out of my head this morning ---I thought I felt something weird while I was washing my hair this morning.
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And this blog deserves to be at the top as we draw closer to the BIG DAY.
And that picture?
Priceless.
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I couldn't agree more Art, nor could I have stated it quite so eloquently.
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Unfortunately, we live in a society that has adopted a "survival of the fittest" mentality. The old and the weak are pushed to the curb; the thugs, idiots and ingrates are pushing customer service and patience and acts of kindness have become the real exception today.
God bless those who took the examples from THEIR parents and treat everyone as they would want to be treated.
If kids would take their ear out of the cell phone or IPod for just two minutes, they might see that there is a big beautiful world out there that you can actually see, feel and TOUCH.
We should carry the Christmas spirit year round.
See my Christmas episode under Groups-Friends of Jake and Vinnie. THAT is what I am talking about.
Art
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Comment by LadyChaplain on December 21, 2007 at 10:12am
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Oh Mel, how I wish there were MORE people like you around. As crazy as things were at work last night, I took the extra time to help a few customers find that "right" gift for their kids (helping to bridge that evil generation gap! lol). Sure it put me a little behidn in my work, but it did feel good.... I wish more people would take the initiative but sadly in today's technological society, simple acts of kindness are lost unless there is some "tragedy" that warrants it (IE 9-11; Buffalo's Surprise Storm; etc). ((I took a class on the study of kindness. Yes, such a thing exists))
Where have all the good kids gone!?
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Oh, I'm no saint...believe me. I have my moments just like everyone else....I just try to recognize the opportunities to be better when I see them.
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