"Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas."
~ Calvin Coolidge ~
Former President of the United States
Our hostess this week is Darlene at God, Four Kids and a Dead Fish Named Sniff
As I have gone out on my "Search-and-destroy" shopping expeditions the last few days searching for just that one gift my four year old wants, I've noticed something.
There is NO peace, goodwill, or mercy ANYWHERE in Toys R Us during a holiday sale.
There is NO holiday state of mind in Walmart when the bottom shelves look like a bomb went off and merchandise is strewn over the floor at the end of the day.
Parents are close to coming to blows over toys that are in short supply. Harried workers try to avoid your eyes for fear you are going to ask them for that Dora The Explorer Talking Kitchen that disappears off the shelf as quickly as it arrives.
I've also noticed how quickly one person can turn that attitude around.
- Smile at everybody you meet!
- Help that mother with four little bitty ones reach that item on the top shelf.
- Hum Christmas Carols as you shop.
- Say "Merry Christmas!"..."Happy Holidays" over and over.
- Always drop your coin change into the Salvation Army bucket on the way out the door. Tell the ringer "thank YOU!"
It's AMAZING how fast ONE person can change the attitude of the entire store. Like one drop in the bucket ripples outward in ever-growing rings, the Christmas Spirit you share will touch others. I Promise! You might not see it, but it WILL happen.
And here's a couple of lessons I've learned in the last week.
Lesson #1...Don't let someone ELSE be the catalyst. As you can probably tell from the tone of my posting lately, I have had a big case of Seasonal Stress. So this morning when I went into Wally World for the 8th time this week to see if they had "new stock" in (I've tried calling...they will not answer the phone. I don't blame them, actually) I was NOT in a mood to be cheery. I RAN (ok...jogged) across the parking lot. Just wanted to GET THIS OVER WITH.
Then WHAMMO! Reality check. As I reached the door, an older man was blocking the entrance. He was having a very hard time walking and was leaning heavily on the cart. He couldn't quite get it up over the bump at the automatic doors. Near me was a woman and her young teenage son. Without even the slightest hesitation, this boy came up behind the elder man, took his elbow and said "can I help?"
I just wanted to give this kid a round of applause. I'm sure the angels were!!
And his act of kindness totally changed my heart. I finished my trip without scoring that one perfect gift...but I didn't quite mind so much. I left with a smile on my face and a slightly different feeling in my heart.
Next time, it'll be me that does the helping. Somehow, someway!
Lesson #2 - If you want an exercise in patience, give that change to go into the Salvation Army bucket to a four year old.
Coming out of the store, the person ringing the bell asks if my four-year-old can have a candy cane. I can't tell if it was a woman or a man because the person was bundled VERY well, but I suspect it was a woman.
And I said SURE!
So while she's digging under the layers of coats and sweaters and scarves with her gloves, I dig out my spare change. And hand it to little one.
And THEN I WAIT WHILE SHE FEEDS EVERY COIN INTO THE SLOT ONE BY ONE!
And WAIT...
And WAIT...
And JUST WHEN I think, "Oh goody! She's done! I'm freezing out here!!"....
Dear sweet MG empties his pocket and hands her his change as well.
Ummmm...Helloooo! I want to LEAVE! STRESS and IMPATIENCE written all over Mommy's face here.
Then I look around and notice other people. The bell-ringing lady with the smile on her face. The older couple stopped holding packages in one hand and stifling a giggle with the other. MG watching me and grinning like a Cheshire cat.
Sometimes it takes me a little while, but I think I'm catching on.
Just think...next week at this time, Christmas will be OVER. Weird, huh?
Happy Holidays!
4 comments:
That teanage boy sounds wonderful. I remember once my son said a blind man asked him to cross the road. I said, "What did you do?"
His answer--"I ran"
He was leary that this guy was a con artist trying to kidnap him.
I see his point, but it cracked me up just to think that my kid would run from a blind man. :)
I like your post!
This is so true (especially the bit about 4 year olds and patience!) Wonderful post. Must sleep now.
What a wonderful idea to take the time to be cheerful while shopping! I'm usually leaning in, on a mission, with a single purpose: to get out of there as quickly as possible. Thanks for the reality check.
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