Generosity, how well it goes unnoticed!

How many times in a day does someone on the street smile at you, and you dont smile back? How often somone compliments you and you disregard it. How often does someone ask how you are and you automatically respond, "I'm fine" and move on with the conversation with complete disregard that they may actually want to know.

We live in a world where many of us will ask a question, masked to be sincere, but will not even listen if given a real answer. When someone tells you that "things are hard, but they're pulling through" are you thinking about how hard YOUR life is, what could be going on that is so tough in theirs, or the window drapes that you just picked out from peir 1? Most people would be thinking about the drapes, why is that though ?! Because so many people are so wrapped up in their own lives and own wants, that they dont have time to care about anyone else, or a reality that isn't their fault. It all roots from childhood. Your mother telling you, in a nutshell, that you can't help anyone but yourself. Or even try to understand a situation you've never been in.

Lets say you meet a new person. For some reason, no one really likes them but then again, no one really knows them either. They've all heard from one person's aquantance of a friends brother that they aren't really nice, actually they're just plain horrible. Now you have two choices you could believe everyone else, treat them like they killed your dog, or you could draw your own conclusion on how they treat YOU personally! Lets take a sherlock holmes look and investigate the future and the outcomes of each situation.
1) You disregard what everyone has said and decide to make your own choice, so the next time you see them you decide to be civil to them. In return they put oil in your car, get you an awesome deal for MAUI, and take you to the airport at 4:30 in the am. NOW you have become at least friends with this person, and you have figured out that the reason why your aquatince's friends brother didn't like them was because somewhere down the line, your friends brother got dumped by their sibling. Suddenly life makes sense.

Now the other way you could go is,
2)You listen to everyone else's opinion which seems to turn out for the worse. You treat that person like they killed your dog! One day when your driving down the road, your "check fluids" light come on, you ignore it, and cease your engine. Because you no longer have a car, you can't get to the airport to go to maui, and all your friends and their aquantiances are out partying and can't drive you. As your spending your last 35 dollars on a cab ride, you see this "undesirable aquantance" that no one likes, dropping a friend at the airport for the same flight, which she tells you later, she got for a GREAT DEAL because of her friend. Suddenly your point of view has changed, because you realize that they haven't done anything to you, and you shoulden't have treated them badly in the first place, but too bad for you. Funny, the only reason why you are thinking this now is selfish , you could still have a car, you could have a cheap trip to maui and lots of spending money, nevermind the ride to the airport.

Now both these situations turn out practically the same for some person, but that person is not always you. So really, you should have taken that chance to be nice, to smile at the person on the street. To appriciate the compliment someone has given you, and really listen to someones response when you ask how they're doing. You will always have the chance to think about the drapes in peir1 but you may not always have the chance to make a good friend, or make a differance in someones life other than yours. Even a simple smile can brighten someones day!

Generosity is found in the strangest places, dont take it forgranted, because one day it may not be there and you'll wonder why!!!