"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant." That is a quote by Robert Louis Stevenson. Okay, although not a household name today, Stevenson was very popular during his day. In fact, while I would think that less than 25% of the sheeple could name him, I think most would have heard of one or the other of his two most popular works, which remain in print today even though he wrote them in the early 1880's. So for those of you who don't know, Stevenson Wrote The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde and Treasure Island. Although these are his works that still get read today, he was a very popular travel writer in his day, as well as a poet and political activist. A very interesting character, if you have nothing better to do some day and want to read about him.
To get back to his quote, I think it is important to take your eyes away from what you are getting and to look at what you are giving. For it's what you give that will ultimately come back to you in multiples. Many of the happiest people I know are always giving. Not giving money, mind you, but time. Their time. They may give it in small intervals, or in large blocks. It may be a second to give a smile or a moment to pass along a kind word. In the end, Time is all we have with value. Buy a new car and it loses about 20% of its value the minute you drive it off the lot. Give a person a smile and they may remember it for ever! Same with five minutes of your time. Take a few minutes to sit down and chat with someone you know. As long as they are not late for an appointment or something, I will guarantee that they will appreciate it and remember it. If you want to be happy, then plant seeds of happiness. You do this with your time and manner. Meanwhile, if you plant the wrong seeds, you are setting yourself up for a harvest of discord in the future! If you smile and say a kind word, you are more likely to get that in the future. And the funny thing is, while you may be planting the seed and thinking that it only impacts one person, you are wrong. People can and will see what you do... and treat you accordingly. I know that if I constantly see someone smiling... even if they are not smiling at me, I am more likely to smile when I speak to them or if I am around them. Why? I am not certain. I think it is because I like to make people feel comfortable and if they are smiling, then I have a tendency to imitate them to some extent. It is the same with someone who is always zinging other people. I find I am more likely to throw a zinger at them than nearly any other person. I try not to zing anyone, but sometimes I just feel that a person deserves a zinger, particularly if they have been undeservedly zinging someone else. To tie things up. Spend time treating people the way you yourself want to be treated, and I think that over time, you will find that you will be surrounded by people who will treat you the same way. Trust me on this, talk nicely with people and they will speak nicely with you. Treat them nicely and they will return the favor. That is how life works! My life anyway. Well, usually. There will always be one or two people who will be acidic no matter what you say or do. Still treat these people politely, but don't expect too much in return. You can call a car a jet plane, but it ain't ever gonna fly! One more thing. One of our readers gave me a beautiful card the other day that really helped to lift my spirits, and I just wanted to say thank you. I'll say it to you in person at karate too, but I suspect you read this blog and I just wanted you to know that I was thinking about that card while I was writing this post. A kind word can go a long way! Thank you!
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