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Happiness Tip - Cheer Up A Stranger Today
by Helga
In this first of our Tips For Happiness visitors' submissions, Helga suggests something that really works for her, as well as for the people she comes in contact with. Thank you, Helga. This is a beautiful example of how little acts of kindness can result in the expansion of happiness. Here’s a happiness tip I’d like to share. It is something I do every time I go to our local shopping mall in our area. It may be in the supermarket, pharmacy, bank, or in the cinema complex – anywhere I am being served by someone. Firstly, let me say that I am by nature an appreciative person. I do appreciate others, and I do understand that each of us has our own life situation to deal with. And that can sometimes mean that some folks we come into contact with may be having a bad day; or a bad week, month or year. They may have lost a loved one recently, be having financial difficulties, or be going through some otherwise difficult circumstances at home or at work. And I know too that everyone who serves me is a human being who, like me, just wants to live a peaceful, healthy and happy life, without too much stress. So, when I am at the supermarket checkout, for example, I smile at the cashier and they usually smile back. By their face, though, I can see whether it is a smile of joy or a smile just to be polite, while behind it is some pain or sadness. If the latter, I say something supportive, and that usually evokes some kind of feedback. I speak words of hope and encouragement, and I tell the person I will keep them in my thoughts and pray for them – which is what I do. During the next visit I can see a difference in that person’s demeanour, and they are usually the one to speak first and tell me how much better they feel today, and sometimes how their situation has improved. This happiness tip is not only for people who seem ‘down’. I also give words and smiles of support to those who are simply going about their work, sometimes even doing so in a happy mood, and whistling while they work. As an example, when I go to a public restroom at the mall, or at a filling station, I thank the person who is wiping the basins or mopping the floor. I tell them how nice and clean they keep the place, and that they have a very important job that is really appreciated. Sometimes I go back to the supermarket shelves and buy a chocolate for the person and take it back to them with a smile. I just know that with these little acts of humanness and kindness I am lifting the spirits of others, and I too come home feeling very good and joyful. And, even when I am not feeling so great myself when I set out for the mall, I do it anyway. And it changes my whole mood for the day. Click here to read or post comments. |
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