this story, but yeah it would take me an hour, and I am...lazy

But THANK YOU!!



So sweet!!

Best post for the day

Take an extra second to say hi to the cashier in the supermarket. If you go to same coffee shop all the time, get to know everyone’s names. Same at the library. You get the idea. We’re all looking for human connection in an increasingly impersonal world. Doesn’t take much time or energy to make these connections. It’s not always reciprocated, and that’s okay. You will have made the effort.

And, no, I’m not always consistent, or ina good enough mood to try, but I feel better when I do.

Not to you matt you get it.

Hey cashiers, waiters and waitresses so forth and so on don’t wear name tags just in case they forget their name. Mention them by name, tell them how well they packed up your groceries, brought you your food whatever the service. Thank people for what they did for you. It’s a very little act to do it could change someone’s outlook on the day. Bet you’d like it if the situation was reversed.

But if I'm still thinking about it, in a positive way, then maybe the other folks are as well.

Another incident: I asked a bagger to try to put it all into one bag, though I didn't think she could. All with a smile. She said, well, okay, we take that as a challenge, again with a smile. She did put it all into one bag, and we all had a chuckle. I paid attention. She had (I hope) a pleasant rather than a mundane, boring encounter. Didn't cost either of us a thing. And a month later I'm mentioning it in a post here.

Also, in a couple of stores in town - farm store and indie coffee shop - I know the names of most of the people, and we're at the point after several years of knowing about each others' kids and their lives. It's a small thing, maybe, but in a life that is otherwise pretty mundane, it brightens my day.

Okay, pollyanna over. Be nice. Be kind. Try not to lose your temper (BTW, I'm not always successful, but I try). Stuff you learned in kindergarten, I suppose, but we all still need to be reminded.

Recommended.

Thanks.

Judge a book by its cover.

It’s cliche but very accurate!

rec rec rec rec rec

am always in need of remembering there are good people in this world

I grew up in Silicon Valley, so I've always been around a diverse population. My high school in the 60s was 49% Mexican and 39% black. In the 70s Asian and Middle Eastern people came to the area in larger numbers. I cherish the time I got to spend around people of other cultures in school, at work and in my social life and neighborhood. I would not have wanted it any other way.

I should mention I'm as white as Opie Taylor.

Good ending.

Thanks for posting.

Then the gloves are off. If you are a jerk I want nothing to do with you.

When I was young, hot, skinny and single I dated a rich guy, good looking, good job and he was into me. We went out one night and he was so rude to this waiter who didn’t speak English well, but was trying to do the best he could. The guy I was with was a real jerk to him and complained about the foreigners who needed to go back to their countries. It was an eye opener to me. We went out one more time and again he was rude to a person with disabilities. That was it for me. I stopped accepting his dates and we drifted apart. Ran into him years later and he told me I broke his heart. But I couldnt accept him being mean to people below his socio economic status. No regrets. He’s tried to Facebook me as a friend but no friggin way would I ever.

I think we all need to take a moment and re-evaluate our place in the world and how we perceive and treat others

wonderful post

I've been having a tough time

And that made my day and probably my week!

Wonderful story

extended credit to an Iranian college student who had been denied a car by several other dealerships.
A couple of years later he got a call from the State Department, the car company Headquarters in Detroit, and the Office of the Shah of Iran.
It seems that college kid was the son of the Defense Minister of Iran and the nephew of the Shah.
The Iranian government intended to buy new cars and trucks for the entire Iranian military.
The Iranians would not close the deal until that Oklahoma car salesman came to Detroit and personally sold them the cars.
That decent guy instantly became a millionaire. He opened a dealership in an even smaller Oklahoma town and remained a good man until his death several years ago.
I guess the moral to the story is the same. It don't cost extra to be nice and sometimes it can pay dividends.
Anyway, that salesman also sold me a car on credit when I was barely hanging on financially and became a dear friend.

I bet the car dealer was in shock when that happened. Good for him and the son who remembered a kind person.

The Boddhisattva path is a path of compassion, where we work for the benefit of others. Put aside our selfish concerns to make altriustic concerns for others more important. We have more in common, than differences, with our immigrant neighbors. They want to be happy and not endure lonliness and suffering, just like us. They love their families and want them to be well and happy, just like us. They want to learn and grow, just like us. They want to relax and feel at ease at the end of the day, just like us. They want their kids to get a good education and grow up to be good accomplished people, just like us. They want their homes to be safe and peaceful, just like us.

thank you!

Renews my Faith in humanity

Thank you. I needed that.

Thanks for the heads up!

Thanks so much for posting it. It makes me want to be a better person.

I shared it with others because it is such a good reminder.

At least his comeuppance wasn't too abrupt, public, and painful.

too! .. Sweet story, Cattledog.

lol@stackingbooks

On the other hand it's somewhat pathetic, demonstrating how poor someone can be at evaluating situational variables.

I guarantee I would have figured out on the first try that the guy was blocking the seat as opposed to creating a mess. Granted, that type of instinct is a strength of mine and besides, my friends and I used to save seats for each other at school and at games dating to first grade. Not exactly operation unknown.

I think it depends much on the way people have been raised, the values taught them.

I would have figured like you, as I was taught to give the benefice of doubt to anyone. To try to understand what's behind a word, an attitude.

In other words, to stay open to the others.

It is a nice story. One of those which makes me keep faith in humanity.

Basically, we're all the same. Humans made of flesh and blood. We +/- react the same way to pain, to joy.

Yes, we have different languages, different cultural habits, different ways of life. But bridges can be built and connect people.

We should preserve, as much as we can, all these differences. We always, always, have something to learn from each other. This is what really enrich us and make us evolve.

that made my day and my day is just starting.

Or that I just fell out of bed (for real) and Breakup is in full swing.

Your post has made my day golden, doctor's appointment, x-rays again, possibly winning the Breakup Pothole Contest (in my driveway) and all the usual walker-or-wheelchair indecision aside.

I'll try to Pay It Forward today.

Wonderful.

I loved the fact that people immediately jumped in to see how they could help.

there are days I do have some faith in human beings.

for sharing this.

It's beautiful.

always applies and returns tenfold.

Wonderful OP for me today, thank you!

...... .......

Awesome story.

We've all been guilty of misinterpreting other people's actions, assuming them to be something other than a real act of kindness.

I know I have, and reading this gives me reinforcement to not prejudge others, and accept them as the caring people we should strive to be.

I wish Tom's new friend the very best. He certainly deserves it. And all the best to Tom as well.