Goodwill....

When we hear the word "Goodwill" many different thoughts can come into your head.  Maybe you think of Goodwill Industries, the non-profit organization that you call when you have an old couch or some old clothing that you need to be picked up from your home.  Maybe you think of the 1997 movie, Good Will Hunting with Matt Damon.  Maybe the Goodwill Games or maybe the 1917 Navy Patrol Boat, the USS Goodwill or maybe even Goodwill as in the moral and mental state of honesty.  The latter is more the thread that I am talking about.  Let me digress.  Every day we get up, get ourselves ready and leave our homes.  Once we walk out the door, we have the possibility of coming in contact will an endless number of people.  Some of the people that we come in contact with will have no affect on us....we may not even notice that we came in contact with them.  Some people...people that we probably don't even know, may have and adverse affect on us...either they do something rude like cutting you off in traffic or letting a door close on you, without holding it for that......that "just long enough" period of time that warrants polite behavior.  Some people will make your day...they may still be a stranger, but they may just do SOMETHING that makes you happy or makes you smile.  DING DING DING.  The LAST one is the one that "I" want to be and that "I" want YOU to be.  I'm calling it...or giving it a title of "Goodwill Ambassador"...and I want EVERYONE reading this to be one...or at least to try it for ONE day.  Let me take another step back and digress a bit more.  I started out by saying that everyday we get up, get ourselves ready and leave our homes.  Check.  One thing that I DID NOT mention, is that there are MANY factors that affect us each and every day...and that affect OTHERS each and every day.  I can remember right after my Mom passed away I was really sad....still am some days....but right after she passed away I was sad a lot.  I would walk around in my own little world and I'm sure that I looked like I had a huge weight on my shoulders.  I did.  It was called grief.  Unless you knew me personally and knew my situation, it could be interpreted many different ways.  Some people might have thought I WAS sad.  Some people may have thought I was shy.  Some people may have thought I was arrogant and keeping to myself.  My point is, unless you knew me personally, you may have judged me, or my actions, by the way that I was carrying myself.  My BIGGER point is, you NEVER know what someone you come into contact with is going through.  OK, some people are just assholes....fine.  But, some people, and I am going to say the majority of people are inherently nice with LOTS of shit on their plate.  Maybe it's personal, maybe it can be avoided and maybe it can't, maybe their just having a bad day, maybe they feel fat, ugly, frumpy, who knows....you just never know what a person is going through until you walk a day, an hour or a second in their shoes.  Maybe...just maybe their Mom just passed away.  OK, so back on track, here is the point that I am, so desperately, TRYING to make.....da da da daaaaa....let's be Goodwill Ambassadors....even if JUST for ONE day.  Here's how it goes....yesterday I was in a local Dallas restaurant / bar.  Nothing fancy, just great burgers, salads, loaded cheese fries with jalapenos, bacon and scallions...YUM...sorry......as I was saying, nothing fancy, just a little local restaurant.  The server (used to be waitress, but that is no longer politically correct) seemed to be the "artsy", "punkish", type of young girl.  You know the one...kinda Goth, kinda dark, and you never know if it's just the persona or they are deeply tortured.  So she comes up to the table, several times....refilling water, asking if we need anything, but never really smiling.  So, the next time she comes up to the table I say, "I love your sweater.  It's really cute!"  She looks at me, smiles and says, "Thanks!"  The next time she came to the table, with a smile, she said, "Sweety, do you need anything?!"  It was interesting.  It was like I broke a barrier.  She could tell by looking at me that we didn't have the same "overt" taste in clothing or interests, and I wondered if she thought I was judging her by her appearance.  But, once I smiled and complimented something that was personal, something that she picked out and liked (obviously, since she was wearing it), I broke down the barrier between us, and now we were just two people with different interests that had something in common....we both liked her sweater (keep in mind...I didn't really "love": her sweater, but I knew that it would make her feel good).  That's part of being a Goodwill Ambassador.  It's self sacrificial.  You don't do it mockingly, you don't try to talk down or belittle someone, and it has to be "somewhat" genuine.  So I didn't "love" her sweater, but it was a nice "little white lie" that made HER feel better.  Sometimes I may be at Starbuck's and tell someone that I LIKE their outfit (I usually really do like it if I say something...yesterday was a needed exception as my server looked down in the dumps!) OR if I like a woman's perfume, or a guy's tie, or someone's dog...whatever...just TELL THEM.  Don't be looking for a compliment in return...it needs to be self sacrificial.  Maybe you see an older person in a restaurant eating alone...pick up their tab.  Just tell the waiter to give them your bill and ask that you NOT be identified.  Remember, you're doing it to be a Goodwill Ambassador and not accolades.  As humans we should be nice to others...weather we know them, or not.  Pass it on....anonymously and reap the rewards.  The reward will come....who knows when.....but it will come.  Remember, we are ALL in this together...whether we know each other or not.  You never know when you might need the help, compliment or just a simple smile from a stranger.  Put it out there and it will come back ten fold.  What do you have to lose?  Will you do it?  Will you do it for me?  Goodwill Ambassador for a day.  Please?