Slow down and let other drivers merge and go ahead of you. Allow every pedestrian to amble
across the street, the slower the better. Is that extra five minutes of driving time going to ruin
your life? No, but being a patient, safe, and nice driver will make the ride all the more pleasant
and will send a ray of goodness in your wake.
Put down your smartphone and make eye contact, person to person. Nowadays, I consider that
a major act of kindness and courtesy, as well.
Have you heard of “food desserts”? I certainly never did until reading last year in The New York Times about entire swaths of urban areas with nothing but corner stores filled with processed, packaged foods and no produce whatsoever. I started paying attention and it is true. There is something you can do about it. By making a donation to WholesomeWave.org, they will provide fresh fruits and veggies to those underserved communities. How great is that? Actually, it is even better,as Wholesome Wave obtains their organic produce from small and mid-sized farmers.
Make a list of small things you can do around your house and place of work to conserve energy
and water, stop waste, and increase the recycling. Then start doing them!
I learned about this from my mom, whose church regularly sends cards, letters, and care
packages overseas to the armed forces. My mom and her fellow church ladies bake some of the
best cookies in the world, so they gather up all kinds of goodies and treats and send them
overseas where the taste of down home surely brings many smiles of satisfaction. Those who
are less gifted in the baking department (such as me!) can make a $15 donation to Operation
Gratitude, which pays for one care package for one serviceperson. Operation Gratitude
(operationgratitude.com) has sent over a million of these kindness kits around the world!
Think about how you can create little moments of happiness for others. Help a friend plant her
garden, buy an extra coffee for a coworker, pay the toll for the car behind you on the bridge, and
even take your kids to a movie. All those little things can add up to big joy.
This is your life! Only you can truly control your choices. Choosing happiness is the best way to achieve being good to yourself as well as the world. Here are some suggestions for how you can ensure simple joy in your life:
*Be the best you can be by your own standards
*Surround yourself with people who inspire you and make you feel good
*Focus on what you have,not what you lack
*Optimism trumps pessimism every time!
*Smile often and genuinely
*Be honest, to yourself and others
*Help others
*Embrace your past,live in the present, and look forward for what is yet to come
