Good Feelings

I mentioned in an earlier entry that I strive to police my thoughts and actions with something corny like would my mom, who passed away in 1998, approve of them. Well this morning I had an opportunity to do a 'mom would be proud deed'. I was putting my cart in the parking lot cart collection place, outside the market. I saw a woman's wallet laying in the bottom in one of the carts. I took the wallet back in the store and gave it to a clerk that I knew. (Actually my lady delivered this clerk's baby about 10 years ago) It made me feel so good to be able to help someone, especially since that someone would never know who, just that someone did return her wallet without anything being touched.

At Lenscrafters where I work we have a program called "The gift of sight". The way this works is that anyone in a helping agency, like the Salvation Army, Good Will or a social worker can refer someone who has no way to pay for a pair of glasses. Sometimes we get a patient who is so thankful for our help, those make us feel great. There are others who act like everything is owed to them. These people are arrogant and often down right nasty to us. We use discontinued frames for this program and all the stores keep a collection in all sizes and in mens and womens styles. I've had them say, "None of these meet my approval, if I don't get something I want I'll report you". Hummmm, free glasses that the helping agencys don't contribute a cent on and they are threatening us! This is also a one time good deal for each person referred, they are told this when they pick up their glasses and we have had people come back a year later and throw a fit in the store because we wouldn't give them a second pair. These people don't give us a very good feeling. But then we get the patient who can't see out of their glasses at first because they have tears of happiness, these people make it worth while.

When I first started doing the races I never thanked the volunteers, I figured that someone was making bucks off this race and I paid my money to be part of it so they should be thanking me. I know better now. Now I'm one of those people who thanks the cop blocking traffic or the kid handing me water. Sometimes we forget that some people help others just for the good feeling it gives them. I'm going to make sure now that they know I'm glad they are there.

We hear so much on the news about the ugliness of mankind. That can wear on you after a while, we need to remember that there are a heck of a lot more good, honest people out there with high personal standards and morals than there are bad and angry people.

Thank you for reading today.

Happy panda