We interact with approximately three new people every day, whether we know it or not. These new people could be the face of a grocery clerk, a new waitress at your favorite restaurant, or a friend of a friend. Three new people every day really is a lot; because, when you think about it and do the math, meeting three new people every day of our approximately 78-year lifespan equates to interacting with about 80,000 people throughout each of our lives.
Did you know you had that large of an audience? I certainly didn't. Most of us go about our daily lives without thinking twice about the small interactions we have with people who serve us in the drive-thru or stand in line with us at the bank. Knowing I will meet so many people in my life makes me think about the way in which I decide to interact with others.
Treating people with kindness isn't difficult, but it's an active choice.
All of us have bad days every once and a while, and it's easy to spread our negativity to the people we interact with. What most of us don't realize is how acting this way can drastically affect the people around us. Those who work in the people business (i.e. grocery stores, fast food, clothing departments) know what kind of customers I'm talking about. If you were working the cash register at Target and were already having a bad day, would you want to be yelled at for taking too long to check customers out? I didn't think so.
It doesn't take much effort to simply be kind to another human being, but we so often forget. Amidst our bad days, we tend to disregard the fact that other people may also be having a bad day. This really isn't excusable. Now that I know how large of an impact I have on humanity throughout my life, I want to make sure I leave this world knowing I did some good. Not for recognition, simply to know that I touched someone's life for the better.
The question is, what are you going to do with the time you have?
It's easy to forget that we can make a difference doing "small" things like holding the door open for someone carrying a baby or who is using crutches, giving your waitress a larger tip than usual, or scooping your neighbor's driveway. Doing these things just because you can may not only make someone else's day but fulfill you.
How are you going to choose to interact with the thousands of people you will meet? It's all up to you.
