Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Being Nice

Sometimes it just surprises me how little it takes to be nice (a smile here, a wave there, a door held 2 seconds longer, etc) and yet people tend not to do it.

I decided I really like riding my bike instead of driving to work for little reasons like that (today I rode approximately 28 miles on my bicycle). I love saying hi to folks at the bus stop, saying good morning to drivers in their cars on the way to work, telling the sign twirlers they are doing a good job, giving skate boarders high-fives as I pass them, chatting with fellow bikers at stop lights, etc [yes, I did do all of these things today - hopefully I won't get scolded for talking to strangers (hehe, just kidding, scolded isn't the word I wanted to use)].

A few weekends ago I was doing the first part of my Saturday workout by myself (Ry had tweaked his back so didn't go on the full bike ride with me) and a pack of road bikers passed me on the bike trail. One of them said "Keep up the great work, you are doing awesome." I think it took all of 3 or 4 seconds to say, but it left me with a smile on my face for the rest of that ride.

Another weekend I was running on The Strand and there was a group of homeless kids in one of the little parks. One of the kids said hi and said 'Thank you for not tuning out the world' (because I wasn't wearing earbuds and listening to music) - of course I smiled, chuckled, gave him a thumbs up, and said, 'Oh, you are welcome'. It really hit me, that sometimes we just tune out the world around us - whether it is because we don't want to be bothered by it or we are too consumed with our own "stuff".

Sometimes I wonder why we can't take 3 or 4 seconds out of our lives to wish someone else a good day or even to use a few cheek muscles to offer a smile. I guess we are just too caught up with our own lives, that "me, me, me, mine, mine, mine" mentality.

Today I am thankful that I was able to slow down, enjoy my surroundings, and hopefully bring a second or two of joy to those around me.

Hey, might as well smile, right?! Even if you don't think you have something to smile about, at least it will confused those around you :)


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