“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” – Maya Angelou
I am an observer, (no, this isn’t a pun reflecting on the company name) and I am not necessarily a voyeur. I just observe the comings and goings of wherever I happen to be. Whether it is at an airport, in a restaurant or at church, I am always watching. So, McDonald, what ARE you watching?
I am watching how people interact. I am watching how parents treat their children. I am watching how children treat their parents. I am watching how humans treat one another. Overall, I am watching to see who is practicing kindness.
Kindness is not a handout. It is not something at which you can throw money. Kindness is Golden Rule material. Treat people how you would want to be treated. If the server gets your order wrong, put yourselves in the shoes of the server, maybe they are working a double so they can make a car payment or make a rent payment or make enough to buy food for their family.
I am reminded of the 2001 motion picture “Sweet November,” where a character played by Frank Langella berates a waitress for knocking over a waterglass. Keanu Reeves, who was there to interview for a job with Langella’s character, turned down the job offer because he saw how the Langella character treated the waitress.
We are not perfect. We make mistakes. We should not have to suffer for them.
We have to begin to treat one another better. Not just on Sunday at church, not just Monday thru Friday, not just at the restaurant and not just at the bar, but always.
We have to do it with compassion. We have to do it with love. We must put ourselves in the other person’s shoes.
I recently wrote about forgiveness and its importance. In that column, I asked that you learn to love and forgive.
Click here to read that column.
Showing kindness demonstrates how you feel about someone. Saying hello at the bank, saying hello while walking through the Walmart parking lot or saying “hi” while walking downtown. Even beeping at our friend Scuba Steve is a great way to make someone feel special. There are not enough of these random acts happening. I feel we can do better. We can be better.
One day, while at Aldi, I saw a mother with three unhappy children who was trying to find a quarter in her pocketbook so she could get a cart. By the time I reached her, she had found a quarter. From that point, I began to leave a quarter in my cart for someone like this mother, who needs to focus on her kids, and not focus on digging for a quarter.
Ever since that day, I have noticed here in Rockingham, over in Pinehurst and up in Michigan people are beginning to perform the same act. It was a random act. It made me feel good to do something that may be considered small to some, but could be considered big to others. All it cost me was a quarter.
Christopher McDonald is an accomplished educator and military veteran with experience in print and radio.
