pay for
their coffee, hold the door for strangers,
over tip, smile or try to be kind even when
you don’t feel like it, pay
compliments, chase the kid’s runaway
ball down the sidewalk and throw it back to
him, try to be larger than you are—
particularly when it’s difficult.
People do notice, people appreciate. I
appreciate it when it’s done to (for)
me. Small gestures can be an effort, or
actually go against our grain
(“I’m not a big one for paying
compliments…”), but the irony is
that almost every time you make them, you
feel better about yourself. For a moment life
suddenly feels lighter, a bit more Gene Kelly
dancing in the rain.
-Jonathon Carroll