Here at MDY3, we are attempting to do something different. We are asking people to be guest bloggers and tell the world what MDY3 means to them – the everybody everyday people of the world. Just the words of a person, no pictures, photos or other distractions. A view from mind to you.
Today’s guest blogger is from Carrie W. of Texas and besides being a great friend & all round funny person, she is, as you will read, extremely kind.
Enjoy!
Experience A Moving Difference
By: Carrie W.
Whether by design or by happenstance, I am an extreme introvert. At first glance, it seems to be difficult to make a difference in people’s lives with that kind of hard wiring, especially when it appears the only viable way to serve is through big, organized service projects, which of course hold little or no appeal to me. I have found, however, there are many other ways to touch the lives of those I come in contact with as I go through the daily grind of life.
I like to think of it as making a moving difference. As I move through the minutes and hours of each day I notice people—co-workers and clients at work, folks in the grocery store or mall, or a solitary man standing on the corner at a traffic light holding a sign asking for help. What I’ve learned to do is go beyond noticing into the realm of actually seeing them. I’m not talking about seeing them with judging eyes; it’s seeing them as real people living their lives as best they can in that moment. It’s realizing there is a reason for every one of their actions or lack thereof.
As an example, let’s say I stop at the grocery store on a Friday evening after work. I need to pick up some fresh vegetables for supper. I’m tired, ready for the weekend. Blocking the tomatoes is a frazzled woman with three children, one of whom is having a meltdown; the other two are slugging each other in the back of the cart. I notice.
In order to actually see, I must realize that woman is at least as tired as I am, especially if she’s worked all day, picked up tired children at daycare, and after shopping must go home and cook, do dishes, and give baths before she sits down to relax. How I choose to respond in that moment can make a difference in that woman’s life.
I could show impatience and reach over her. I could ask her to move her cart so I can get some tomatoes. Or I can make eye contact and smile at her. If I smile, will I know I’ve made a difference? No, though I know a kind patient smile from a stranger has changed many a day’s trajectory in my life. As a person who makes a moving difference, I choose to smile at the woman.
Sometimes seeing involves hearing, and speaking. For example, oftentimes cashiers at the convenience store strike up a conversation. Usually it’s about my purchase, but sometimes, they pull back a curtain and let me see into their life. They might say something about being tired, or that their little boy is home sick and they wish they were home with him. What a difference a kind word offered to them can make. Not only have they been seen, they’ve also been heard. Cashiers, trash collectors, those who deliver the mail, meter readers, and so many others are often invisible and silent to us. We don’t think about them, especially if they are working on a holiday. It costs me next to nothing to thank them for working on Thanksgiving or Christmas, stick a thank you note in the mailbox, or set out ice cold bottled water at the curb on trash days during the summer, but when I see their faces light up and they flash me a big smile, I know I’ve just made a difference.
More obvious ways to make a tangible difference is to purposely plan to do so. I plan to give food to the homeless by keeping a bag of canned goods, personal hygiene items, and such in my car. That way, when I stop at a traffic light where a homeless person is standing, I can hand them something through the window. I don’t know whether that person needs food or a toothbrush, but I give them something. I see them. I care. I try to help.
Most of the time, though, my acts of kindness are not so purposeful, except that I purpose to smile at the people I see. I purpose to offer a kind word of encouragement instead of harsh or impatient ones. I purpose to be gracious, to say thank you (and mean it). I purpose to see people as individuals who need encouragement as much as I do rather than imposing a societal label on them, like handicapped or homeless.
Of course, most of the time I never know if the little things I do actually make much of a difference in someone’s life. That’s not the point. That I do it is the point. Everyone I meet deals with some type of stress—that’s life. Every one has a full plate, a to-do list that never ends, illness, or financial problems. Living a life of service means I respond, person to person, often not doing anything but sharing a smile, a word, or a helpful act. Service of this sort costs little to no money, and only small moments of my time.
The next time you’re out and about, purpose to smile more, complain less, open your eyes and really see, and be a moving difference—what a wonderful way to embrace your day.
Moving Difference 