Paying it Forward-Lessons Learned from the Lady With a Temper

I will be the first to admit that I am not always a ray of sunshine. I am grouchy and easily angered, attributes that I am not proud of and continue to work on. I don’t know how the people in my life put up with me sometimes. That being said, you can only guess how I am when driving. If someone cuts me off or doesn’t say “thank you” after I’ve let them in, expect nothing short of a volcano erupting.

I know, I know-“the only person that is ruining your day is you”; “you don’t know what that driver is rushing off to; maybe to the hospital”; or “why waste your energy on someone you don’t even know?” I’ve heard it all from distraught and fearful passengers. Still, no amount of advice or stress-balls will keep my fury at bay (when driving, mostly).

This morning proved to be no different. I continuously encountered idiots driving on my already darkened drive to work. First of all, it’s a Monday; second of all, I am NOT a morning person at all. As I sulked and muttered obscenities out loud (I’m allowed to do this since I am the only one in my car and no one can hear me) I was met with kindness from a car that must have been feeling the same frustrations, but instead of carrying on as I was in my irritation, the driver payed it forward with an act of kindness.

I was waiting for the opposite lane to clear so that I could turn into my work’s parking garage, as an impatient car continuously honked at me from behind. I waited, fuming, because there was really nothing else that I could do. Then, this white truck coming from the opposite direction stuck his hand out of his window and motioned for me to turn in front of him, safely into the parking garage. The car in back of me immediately zoomed off after I had made the turn, but I had all of a sudden forgotten my irritation and waved back gratefully at the white truck, who had turned in after me.

I then took my ticket and greeted the parking attendant warmly, almost too warmly, really, and the walk to work was a happy one all because of my rollercoaster emotions and the driver of that white truck.

This reminded me of how much a small act of kindness can alter a person’s day, just as much as a bad exploit can. The difference between the two, aside from the feeling, could be no different at all. Any act, whether good or bad done unto us, can have the same optimistic and productive outcome, as long as we choose it to be.

It seems so ironic that as someone else is potentially ruining my day, I could choose to instead make someone else’s day better by withholding my frustration and instead find ways to bless others, without expecting anything in return.

It’s funny how an act of kindness works, really. With one decent action there is often times another, and another after that; something like a domino effect. I try to remember the feeling no matter how minute, when someone did something pleasantly unexpected, and focus on passing on that feeling to another unsuspecting grump.

This Christmas, don’t be a Grinch. Continue the domino effect, or even be the one to start it.