Sunday, March 28, 2010

Come on, get happy.

Lately, I have observed a recurring phenomenom. People are mean to each other. They seem to be disrespectful, and not at all aware of the golden rule we all learned in kindergarten - treat those as you would like to be treated. We know this. We were raised with this.

In Disney's Bambi, Thumper's said, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."

Then there's Snowwhite's 7 dwarfs, who sang, "Whistle while you work."

And then there's the Partridge Family - come on get happy.

As a mother, I have spent most of my life wiping tears and trying to explain why people are so mean to each other. One day, I remember my five year old coming home from kindergarten crying because somebody made an ugly face at her. My advice seemed to work. I said, "Maybe she's just ugly?"

Ok, so maybe we're a little ticked off these days. I can understand why. We read the papers. But really. Are we directing this angst at the right person? And maybe we should just chill out.

When my daughters talk to me about their work woes, I often say, "it's just a job in a gas station or a restaurant. This is not your life. This is a pay cheque."

This is easy to say, but hard to accept, especially when that person is the kind of person who is engaged, and wants to be respected, even if it is in a temporary environment.

And that's really all we want. Respect. Consideration. To be listened to. To be consulted. And we want others to get in the game, instead of standing back, and ruining someone's day with negativity, sarcasm, or lack of engagement.

And if you do one thing tomorrow, choose happiness.

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