Sometimes, we just go through life doing the things we do and relating the way we know best, not taking out time to sit and think through our actions and relationships. We act like entitled people, people who deserve the relationships they have and have a right to the way they act. Until such a time that we repeatedly receive the same feedback from our relations, and it hits home that our behaviors and responses are affecting different people in similar manner.
Over the years, I have always been talked about as the one who is always smiling and more recently, I have realized I am also spreading warmth and joy. In fact, my Mom said each time I call, it gives them (parents) joy because I make laugh through the entire call. I can’t tag ‘funny’ against my name, so that is pure simple joy and happiness. That statement opened my eyes to some compliments I had taken lightly before, like an entitled human. I can’t count the number of times people tell me I am easy to talk to, or I make them smile when I do, etc. I just now realize that positive impact.
Beyond that is the impact you have on someone not just for the day but in a lifetime. I recently reconnected with an old friend from high school. She has been out of the country for over 15years already and we haven’t seen each other for those many years and haven’t communicated for about 10years now. As we were chatting, she reminded me of a Bible I had given her when we were in the University, something I didn’t recall. I simply laughed because I thought maybe she was mistaken – then she sent pictures of the Bible with my name clearly written on it.
My first reaction was to tell myself ‘You had started this a long time ago’. She told me how that Bible has helped her through tough times, and she intends to pass it on to her kids. That made my night!
Sometimes we hold ourselves from doing things that are nice, and we don’t realize we are depriving others of happiness., joy, consolation, etc. I sincerely can’t remember the exact time I gave that Bible to my friend, neither the events around that period or the type of discussions we had that led to that action. Whatever the circumstances, I gave her a gift, that probably didn’t mean anything to me because I had unlimited supply to Bibles from my parents, but it has probably changed her life. Let us consciously remember to leave people feeling better – be a source of encouragement, joy, happiness, kindness… and above all LOVE.
