Smile

I took a walk down along the Providence River (South Water St.)  Watched a family of ducks (mom, dad, and three ducklings) swimming merrily along.  I sat for awhile just enjoying the outdoors.  I was literally thinking about this blog and about how difficult it is to find something positive each and every day (other than family, of course).  I was thinking about the fact that I was impressed with a gentleman who acknowledged me as I passed.   A few years ago this would not have impressed me.  I would have expected it.  When I first moved to Providence and I walked almost daily to work, I was so disheartened by how people actually avoided eye contact.  Now, I get an acknowledgement and I think it's out of the ordinary?  My how one's expectations can change.  

Back to the story.  I was sitting and this young man approaches me.  "Do you have a couple of minutes?" he asks.  I paused, thought for a second, glanced at my watch, and said, "Sure."  Julian, a twenty-something, dressed in his sweatshirt and baggie pants, with his black painted fingernails,  proceeded to tell me that he was on a mission.  

His mission?  

To ask complete strangers to smile.  Not smile at him, just find time during the day to smile.  It's so much easier to smile he said than it was to frown.  The world has to many frowns.  With the economy, the war, what's going on in Africa.  "We need more smiles."  He kept his word, only took a couple of minutes of my time.  His self-proclaimed mission was to meet strangers and ask them to smile.  That's what he does.  I don't think that's going to put much  food on the table, but I like the idea just the same.

So, Julian, I gave you a smile when I meet you, and I'm smiling now as I write this.  I hope your efforts to turn frowns to smiles works out for you.   I do agree with you; the world can use a few more smiles.

One Piece at a Time

My family and I had the good fortune to spend the weekend on Nantucket.  I was up early Saturday morning and drove from Siasconset to Nantucket Village to get the morning paper.  While driving down the road I noticed a woman coming around a corner with a trash bag in her hand.  Around the corner was her parked car.  A 1/2 mile down the road I saw a young family (mom, dad, young boy) again with trash bags in hand.  They also had a picker to reach deep into the shrubs.  I thought to myself what a wonderful family outing.  Surely this little boy was being instilled with the sense of volunteerism.  It warmed my heart.  

While driving back I noticed another half dozen or so people doing the same thing.  They all had trash bags, many had gloves, and some had pickers.  A few were deep into the shrubs.  Certainly I thought, it was an organized "clean up".  No matter, these fine folks gave their Saturday morning to make their little area of the world a little nicer for themselves, as well as for you and me.

Bravo, Nantucket.  

Spare Change?

So, I was getting on the bus this morning.  Let the two women on first.  The first woman spoke little to no English.  She put her money into the receptacle and was a dime short.  The courteous bus driver told her, "Ten cents more", but that made little sense to the woman.  She dropped in a quarter.  "Want a change card?" the driver asked.  (our buses are equipped with machines that accept and dispense the magnetic striped cards.).  The woman  had no idea what "change card" meant.  She knew only "transfer".  "Ah," says the bus driver, "that will be $2.25" (another 50 cents).  A puzzled look appeared on the woman's face.  

Ready?  Here's the positive deed of the day.

The woman behind her said, "I'll take care of it."  Reached into her coin purse and deposited the required amount.   The driver handed the first woman the transfer card.  She turned to the second woman, gave a meek nod, and that puzzled look turned into a bright smile.