Make someone smile

I have had a change in my thinking lately. Where it came from you may ask? Could be one thing, could be a mix of things. I think it's the latter. My routine for the past year has been wake up help the family with anything that needs to be taken care of, and job search. The bad part was when I was doing this, hundreds of people were getting laid off. So there weren't too many jobs available to recent grads, more so, because we didn't have the "experience," which was needed to be able to function in the real world as it turns out. But that's not what this blog is about. It's about my new found addition, I guess you can say to my already thinking brain. I set a goal for myself. Make someone smile, laugh, chuckle, smirk even. Just something that says, for that split second, your day was better.

I have applied to volunteer at Nathaniel Witherell, a local elderly home. My job? I find and bring patients to their physical therapy appointments. But, that's not the part that moves me. Well, I am helping but I don't have too much interaction with the patients. The time that I appreciate is the time when I am walking around the facility. There is one guy there that seems to be full of life. Just happy to still be around. Yes, there are very few of these people and it is very depressing to see and interact with the rest, but just seeing this one guy rolling around the entire facility with a huge smile on his face and talking to you for the 5 minutes that he stops you for makes it worth coming back for more. That's what makes me feel better; knowing that no matter how much stuff he has gone through in his life, which I am sure is a lot, he is completely content with the way it has come to pass. I saw him on my introduction day last week and maybe that's where some of my new thoughts came from. So I will continue to go and help out where ever I need.

Now for my thinking. It could be anything, and not that I don't do it already, I just figure I would put in the extra effort to look for ways to help. I pride myself on many things, and going out of my way to help a friend is one of them. Just knowing someone else's life/day was made better by something small is something that really hits home for me. Cause in all reality, the small things that you don't expect are the most important. Anyone can hold a door open, but do most do it? Anyone can help pick something up that someone has dropped, but do they do it? Not always, and that's mostly because there is extra effort in doing so. They may do it for a pretty lady, or an elder lady, but how about your average Joe/Jane? Most likely only if it disrupts their personal bubble. I've seen a guy open a door for a pretty lady in front of me, let her pass, then just let the door go. Besides making me mad, I thought, what kind of rush was he in that he couldn't hold it just long enough so I could tell him I got it.

Recently, I have been in a rough patch, but it's looking up. I mean, what's that phrase, Why do we fall? So that we might learn to pick ourselves up. And I am learning to pick myself up. But back to the rough spot. I went day by day, constantly thinking but no change was going on. The things that made me feel better were the little things I experienced through out the day, not to mention the occasional blinking red light on the Black berry.(That is a very addicting light.) I love seeing it blink.

Well, that's my new thought process. Make someone smile. A smile is worth more than you would think. Also, I over heard someone saying, everyday you wake up is a good day. If there is nothing else. Take that and store it away. And because I don't have pictures about any of this enjoy a picture of me. Freshly taken.