So these past few weeks, I have been feeling a lot like the character Job. Things just haven't been going my way, and it's been on thing after another. Each day, I try to remain optimistic and say this where things turn for the better, and then some new b.s. happens. But a few days ago, there was a moment. Just a brief moment, but it made my smile the purest, most genuine, most happy smile and made me the happiest I've been since I left home.
I was sitting in one of the school cafeterias enjoying lunch with some of my fraternity brothers. Every week we do this to keep brotherhood up, which is great. While we sitting there I saw a lady. Now, this lady I had had an encounter with the day before; she works at the school print shop, and when I went to it, she had seemed kind of mean and abrasive towards me, but I kept composed the whole time. Well this new day that I was seeing her, she was leaving from the check out area with a water, and some watermelon cubes to enjoy for lunch/a snack. Then it happened, she dropped her watermelon.
I could see in her eyes and body language how deflated she had become. She looked so sad, but even more so, SO EXHAUSTED! And then it hit me. This lady probably has the hardest day everyday. She has to deal with college students coming in everyday to print stuff. They probably give her attitude, and slow up the progress of the print shop and she's left having to fix it all.
So distraught from dropping her watermelon, she just left it all on the floor and peaced out. Back to the print shop, she went. That's when I made my move. I hopped up from the table where I was sitting and made a dash back into the cafeteria and rounded up some more watermelon cubes, paid the cashier lady, and made a dash to the print shop (luckily in the same building as the cafeteria). There she was sitting at her desk, flustered and un-expecting of me and what I was about to do. I walked up to desk, gestured the watermelon towards her, and said excuse me miss, but I saw you drop your watermelon, here's some new ones.
She looked so overwhelmed with gratitude and relief. She couldn't stop thanking me or telling me how kind I am. I thought her reaction was a bit of an over zealous one for what I figured to be just a very small favor I was doing. But she saw otherwise. For her, I was acknowledging the hard day she goes through everyday and saying THANK YOU!
So why am I telling you, the reader, this? It's not to brag or get more people telling me I'm kind. I could care less. I was raised to consider even the jobs and tasks that aren't thankless as thankless and just to do everything right because it's the right thing to do. I TELL YOU THIS BECAUSE, here I was, day after day, frustrated and after doing this, none of my problems and b.s. seemed to phase me. I was reminded that I'M NOT THE ONLY GUY WITH PROBLEMS! And while no one person and there problems is more important then another, it's sometimes better to forget yours for a moment and acknowledge someone else's. Following what I did, I couldn't help but be happy for the rest of the day. My bike's back tire got a hole later that day and went flat, and I didn't care. I smiled and said, so what. I'm alive. I was too happy from helping someone else. SO I THINK YOU SHOULD HELP TOO! I mean sure results may vary as they say in the fine print, but I assure you, if you help others, the type of happiness you feel is all that will vary, NOT THE DEGREE!
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