Lilly Sway

The other day I was going through a rough spot in my life and found myself upset and feeling pretty hopeless. I am sure that everyone encounters seemingly insurmountable problems from time to time. Just as I was feeling that there was no resolution for my predicament, I had the misfortune to encounter a few mean spirited people while I was out and about taking care of my daily tasks. Two young women cut me off in a parking lot and sped into the slot that I was waiting for. On top of that they had the audacity to yell out at me and call me a bitch. I proceeded to exit my vehicle, retrieve my baseball bat from my trunk and knocked both of them out. (That last part was a daydream… but I digress) Their ignorance left me in a bad mood and I wondered why cruelty comes so easily for people. My thoughts were negative and I was sure that my day was not going to get any better. In fact I was certain that it was going to be a miserable day, so I headed home. As I was clearing my desk to do some work, I turned the computer on and saw that I had mail from a friend. The heading for my new mail said “Need a laugh?” My friend had no idea that I was in need of a booster. She is one of those people who manage to always be there just at the right time. (even digitally… amazing) I’m not sure that I can ever understand that intuition, but she never seems to fail me; often when I haven’t talked to her for several days. The e-mail contained a story that went something about a young boy who was 9 years old and was sitting in his desk in a classroom full of children. The bell was about to ring, when he noticed that he had an accident. This meant that he was surely about to face the most embarrassing situation possible for someone of his young age: a barrage of embarrassment that would be thrust upon him by his peers and nicknames that would follow him until his high school years. Through his blinding fear, he managed to see that his teacher had already become aware of his situation and was on her way over to him, most likely to help, which wouldn’t really help. The whole classroom silenced as their attention was drawn to a little girl who entered with a fish-bowl almost overflowing with water. She tripped over the teacher’s foot and her bowl went flying, to the little boy’s relief he was wet again, but this time it was not an accident of his. The classroom filled with laughter and the children called the girl names. When the bell finally did ring the little boy searched for the girl. He found her waiting for the school bus and whispered to her that he believed she had intentionally soaked him; she smiled and whispered back that she most certainly did, because it’s what friends do. After I read the story I found that I was laughing wholeheartedly. I had a different attitude when I logged out and as I went along with my day, I found that the pessimism I had been holding on to so strongly had all but disappeared, I was back on track and finished the chores I had given up on and I even returned to that parking lot to find an empty spot. If you are having that kind of day and can manage to see past yourself you just might find that there are still great people around, even if you have to stumble across them on purpose to find them. You may be one of them. Call a friend and give them a laugh, it might be just what they need. My friend is one of those great people, and that young mans friend is another. I’m sure you can add to the count……

Food for the Mind

Lilly Sway