Part of the drill of the arrival of January 1st is the exercise of self examination, soul searching, goal setting, and some dreaming. When ordering water on two occasions, in two different cities, I received water in a box. Hmmm, creative...more "eco" and green. Flashier and leaving more of an impression than one thinks when initially looking at a "plain, black and white" box.
I had an "aha moment" and my boxed water got me thinking. With the dawning of each new year, birthday, etc., most of us desire to "leave our imprint on this world"...and nowadays, with the rising population, decreasing resources and landfill space, more and more of us want to do so without leaving "our (waste) footprint."
It is encouraging to see people, especially today's youth, getting so involved in a variety of worthy causes. Unfortunately in our time in history, there is no lacking for a cause to rally behind and support. For the most part, I would say most of us want to do good and abide by the Golden Rule. No other time is this exhibited than during the holidays, which is wonderful. What is especially encouraging and renews my faith in mankind, however, is when this caring and "pay if forward" perspective appears beyond the holidays. Today, I went through a southern-based chain's drive-thru for a quick lunch while running errands. When I got to the window to pay I was informed that the car in front of me paid for my meal. Wow! The cashier said "and it's not even the holiday." I was grateful, blessed, surprised and extremely touched.
So touched and grateful to my anonymous benefactor that I returned the favor and kept the generous spirit flowing in the drive-thru by paying for the order of the car behind me. The bill was for two kid meals so it felt good to give a probably busy mom a surprise and unexpected break. It is true what they say, it is better to give than receive and I drove off with a smile on my face as a result.
So, in light of my yet-to-be identified and penned resolutions (guess working on my procrastination should be at the TOP of the list!) and today's exhibition of generosity, in 2014 I want to look for more opportunities to pay it forward, to smile more, to work on my eye contact, to remember people's names, to get involved, and to be an active participant in this life; I only get one after all so I want this one to matter. This all got me wanting to really think outside the box this year, or because of it, per se.
