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Nov 6, 2010

Positivity

Yesterday I went grocery shopping, as I usually do on Friday.  This little trip turned into a little mini-lesson on positivity.  After I collected all my groceries, I went to stand in the check out line.  Just before time to move up to being the customer being checked out, a little elderly gentleman came and stood behind me in line.  With a twinkle in his eyes he  said, "Thanks for saving me this spot in line!".  He moved with much difficulty and was shopping with his wife, who was in a wheelchair.  She's so infirm that she couldn't even really hold her head up, it was resting on her shoulder.  I couldn't even seen her eyes.  Here's a man, obviously having difficulty getting around himself, coupled with a wife who's obviously unable to care for herself (translating to what a difficulty that must be for him to care for her in his limited condition), smiling with joy and engaging the stranger in front of him in a positive manner. 

That wasn't all of it.  The checker who was responsible for my line was quite a vivacious lady.  As I was moving to the counter and she waited for the customer before me to leave, so I could head for the counter, she was smiling and sang a short and sweet little ditty, "I'm in my happy spot!"  She was exuding joy rather than just doing her job.  What a positive line I'm in.  As she checked me out, the gentleman behind me talked about how lucky he was to be in her line.  She said to me, they always come to my line and I'm the luckiest person in the world to be able to check them out.  Talk about positivity and smiles abounding in an ordinary experience of checking out the groceries and paying.  The gentleman reached in his pocket and pulled out a well worn fake credit card looking document.  I don't remember what was on the other side that I saw as he put it away, but on the side I he showed me it said, "The happy smile checker".  It was obvious to me that he looks for and creates happy smiles. 

What a joy and what a little lesson to remember amidst the regular routines of our lives.  This gentleman gets around with much difficulty, obviously caring for a wife who is extremely limited.  His life has to be difficult.  Yet he is choosing to greeting it with positivity, engaging with people in his pathway with positivity and choosing joy.  The checker choosing to do her job with a sunny disposition, joy and even singing a song about being in her happy spot was also another lesson in choice.  There was less than 5 minutes there in that line with joy and happiness being radiated, positivity exuding.  What a heaven life would be like if the rest of us were choosing to focus and find positivity in our life in this way?  I felt transformed.  Ordinary checkers are just doing a job and getting through the day.  Ordinary old men with severely disabled spouse to care for and very limited mobility themselves are usually struggling and I viewed them as really being a case of people, "enduring to the end" and possibly hoping it comes sooner rather than later.  What I saw was an extraordinary lesson in the choosing our attitude and choosing to live in joy in the "now" no matter how difficult or tedious.

I've made lots of progress in learning to be happy and positive no matter what.  This little powerful little 5 minute or less mini-lesson is something I'm grateful to get.  I think things happen for a reason, and this might be teaching me more about how to expand, improve and carry on in positivity.  Can I bring smiles optimism in my chance encounters of all those who cross my path?  That is my next challenge.