Say hello to a stranger.

I know I have touched base on this topic in other blogs before this one, but today it is weighing heavy on my heart once more.

I have bad days; days that I want nothing to do with anyone outside of my home. Days that I just wish I could walk through the store and be invisible, so that I could get what I need without being bothered. I have days that I have mean thoughts run through my head, and maybe for no apparent reason. Sometimes I have days that I want to shut down and just surrender to the world, let it keep walking all over me.

Today is one of those days. Now sometimes these days just show up at my front door unexpectedly and just will not go away. Unfortunately today is a case of being in the path of someone who shows no remorse for others. Now before you think I am being hypocritical, this person is this way on a daily basis. Walking in a path of fire, and not caring who gets burned along the way. I am not going to sit and complain about this one certain person, but instead try and have those types understand what they truly do to others around them.

I have worked many different jobs, in many different types of fields. One thing that never changed was the fact of being courteous to those you are serving. I am finding it hard anymore to walk into McDonalds and get a nice welcome. When I take my children to the doctor’s office I do not even see the eyes of the receptionist, since they will not look up. I have even dealt with caregivers who are nothing of what their job titles portray.

Jobs are hard to come by these days, and I believe that every job is important. So what is it that makes us go to work and treat others this way, and not just work, but everyday life. It seems as though more and more it is much more than one just have a bad day, but that every day is a time to hurt others.

I worked at a dental office for a few years, and we dealt with all types of patients. Some that we saw more than once were from the mental health facility down the road. When they came in they each had a caregiver assigned to them. The sad case was that only one time did I see a worker with them that actually seemed to care. One of the hardest times for me was when a couple patients came in for front teeth extractions. As we moved along with the procedure I explained all the details to the patients. That was when the caregiver stated to me that he does not understand anything and to stop explaining it to him. Now I do not care if you are blind and deaf and have your head cut off. You are physically in front of me breathing, moving; living. Acting as though someone may not have feelings, or understand just because they are in a different state of mind then me or you is absurd. And how dare you work in a field of caring for people, when you clearly do not care at all.

These are situations that break my heart.

I was sitting in church one day, when the pastor stated that as Christians we do not need to go door to door and hand out pamphlets, or try and convert others. We simply live our life as God would want us to. Leading by example. Show others how being kind and respectful of others around you is a great way of living. Now I am not saying that Christians are the only ones that act this way, or that other religions are wrong; to be honest, I do not think that you need to be religious to just be kind. What do you gain from hurting others, whether it be physical or emotional? What do you gain from walking by someone who needs help, just because you do not feel like taking the time?

I know I am not innocent of treating others wrong in my life, but I have learned from my experiences and I have learned from having others hurt me also. As you go through the rest of this week, think about the way you look at others, the way you speak to others. Smile, take an extra breath and say hello to a stranger. If you are upset with someone, make a mends. What are you gaining by being angry? And why live your life unhappy. Because at the end of the day, even if you have hurt just one person or have made just one person unhappy, it is one person too many.