Snowballs of Positivity and Love

Now I must say, for as difficult as some of these challenges are, life is pretty spectacular.

At work, I’m on a giant and lovely staff.  It’s strange to think of my former stores, where I knew everyone maybe a little too well.  Now there are about half a dozen that I know well enough to see outside of work, a couple hundred who know my name, and always many more that I’ve yet to get to know.

When I first started here, I decided to take pictures of those that I meet and type their names under them; like digital flashcards to practice.

And maybe it’s the quirkiness of the concept, or the implied effort, or maybe it’s just me, but essentially everyone who’s photo I took says hello each time they see me, and on a daily basis I have more people genuinely asking how I am than I think I’ve encountered in my lifetime.   It’s incredible, especially considering that I’ve been here for just four months.

This week alone, two coworkers overheard me telling different stories, both involving someone who was less than kind to me.  One of the coworkers stopped in his tracks, turned to me, and, with a fierce and protective tone of voice, demanded to know whom it was.  The other coworker, after quietly overhearing the other tale, approached me later, carefully asking what had happened; saying he couldn’t imagine someone being rude to me.  (And for the record, both stories had nothing to do with work.)

Honestly, it’s baffling and assuring.  I don’t see myself as kindly as they see me.  I was raised to be selfish and entitled; I had to teach myself morality, realizing on my own that when you are kind to the world around you, it tends to smile back. Thus my life’s goal became to have a positive impact on the world around me; and it’s still awing that I am on some level achieving that goal.  I still remember who I was before I began to grow into myself, and so it’s hard to believe that I am actually that good, and yet I genuinely do feel loved as a response for loving those around me. 

And how can I not when two coworkers, ones I haven’t yet gotten to know very well, nevertheless care enough to pause their lives to make sure I’m alright.

It’s moments like this that made me believe in humanity and the good we all have inside of us.  I can’t wait to do more with this; especially with the likely difficult times that lie ahead.

some happy humans in Central Park