Oops - and a promise kept

The oops is that I'm actually 72 now, not 71.  I wasn't lying about my age; I just lost track    

The promise kept is the one I made at the end of my most recent post about wanting to leave a mark in the world.  I have determined that I'm going to look for opportunities to reach out in kindness to people.  That very day I had the chance, and it was a lovely experience.  A girlfriend and I went to a movie, and as we approached the concessions counter the young man behind it welcomed us with what sounded like a very genuine greeting.  I made sure to acknowledge that greeting, to let him know that he was seen and heard and appreciated, that his friendliness lit up the room.  From his response, I gathered he had been having a tough time, had not, in fact, been feeling seen nor appreciated, and that my compliment was meaningful to him.  It was such a tiny moment but I for one was left feeling connected and warmer.  I hope he was, too.

This morning, for no reason that I was aware of, I happened to choose "Pollyanna" as my morning movie.  (I start most days now with at least part of a movie, because those are currently the only times  Angel sits in my lap, which is a slice of heaven.)  It had not occurred to me when I chose it that this is a movie all about the difference one person can make simply by being kind, by looking for the good in people, by acting always out of friendship and care.

Not only that, but today as I waited while my car was worked on, I happened to pick up an old People magazine and happened to turn to a page that had an Oprah Winfrey quote from a commencement speech: "There will never be anything in your life as fulfilling as making a difference in somebody else's.  Everybody wants to see you take your integrity, your curiosity, your creativity, your guts and use it to make a difference.  I'll tell you where you start: You start by being good to at least one other person every single day.  Just start there.  That's how you begin to change the world."

Okay, Universe, I get the message.