Happy or Grumpy...One Spreads Kindness

I live in a rural neighborhood with a mixture of young families and older people. We don’t have sidewalks, but people stroll down the road at all different times of day. It’s nice seeing the families out and about as well as the older people. In the evening, many will stop and chat with each other as they are out on their walks. 

In the morning, when I am heading to work, I often pass two different men out walking. One is usually walking one or two dogs, and he looks right at me and makes direct eye contact. His face lights up with the biggest smile, and he waves to me like I am his long, lost best friend that he hasn’t seen in forever. I don’t know his name, but I have nicknamed him Mr. Happy. 

As you may have guessed, there is another man that walks our neighborhood in the morning. He barely looks up when I drive by him. I wave to him, but he does not always wave back, and when he does, it is a quick flick of the wrist that he keeps down low. I do know his name, but for the purpose of this post I have nicknamed him Mr. Grumpy.

Now, I realize that Mr. Happy may actually not be super happy all the time, and Mr. Grumpy may actually not be grumpy at all. This isn’t about how they are feeling. Rather, it is more about the image they give off and the way they make others feel. 

The world is filled with people who are going through things that we know nothing about. I am certain that I have neighbors going through financial, health, and relationship issues. I bet many of the people that I encounter at the grocery store are also going through tough things.

I remember going to the grocery store shortly after Jeff passed. I stood there feeling odd that I was doing such a mundane, simple task when my world had just flipped upside down. Not a single person around me would have been able to guess that I had recently lost the love of my life. Had one person given me a grumpy look or attitude, I just might have started crying. 

We don’t have to walk around trying to please everyone else, and that is not at all what I am trying to say. It is not Mr. Grumpy’s job to make me happy. However, I do think we should be aware of what kind of energy we are putting out into the world on a regular basis. Obviously, we will occasionally have off moments, but if a good portion of your neighborhood, family, or coworkers think you are kind of grumpy, you might want to work on your energy. That simply can’t be fun for you either. 

Sometimes, we are just people who naturally look grumpy. RBF anyone? Many who struggle with this are aware that they look this way, and they will try to combat it by relaxing their facial muscles, purposely smiling more, and expressing their feelings verbally. 

Why should we care about what image we are putting out into the world? Because being a stranger who says hello, a neighbor who waves kindly, or a coworker who greets people in the hallway with a smile can truly brighten someone’s day. If we have the power to do that with such a small gesture, shouldn’t we try? 

Mr. Grumpy doesn’t ruin my day when I see him. I accept that he is likely a man who isn’t super social, and I don’t take it personally. Truly, he is like that with everyone. But Mr. Happy literally brightens my morning. Many of the other wonderful people in my neighborhood who smile and wave lift my spirits even though they aren’t quite as animated as Mr. Happy.

Wouldn’t you rather be someone who purposely tries to lift someone's spirits as often as possible?  Wouldn’t you rather spread kindness, happiness, and cheer everywhere you go? I know I would!

If you are like me, I encourage you to pay attention to your reactions to others. Obviously, you will sometimes be in deep thought or zoned out and miss a moment to spread some cheer. That’s okay. Just try to be more aware, and try to be a bit more purposeful when you are out and about. Smile, hold doors, and give friendly greetings to others. These will be small things to you, but to someone else, it could absolutely brighten their day.