Your feel-good story of the day

There’s no way around it: People can be downright horrible.

I feel like all that I’ve heard lately are stories about the terrible things that we do to each other supposedly in the name of love and friendship. I’m not talking about war or terrorism. I’m referring to the run of the mill things that we all come across: two friends who have turned their backs on each other over a silly misunderstanding; the ex-husband who told his then-fiancé that she should marry him because she couldn’t do any better; the boss who fired the cancer-stricken worker when he most needed the benefit of a health plan.

We all hear stories like these; they fill up water cooler and text message conversations. There’s no question that life can be hard. Today, however, I’m focusing on the good in people. We’ve all seen this side of life too. We just tend to overlook it. I’m making an active choice today to remember:

–The sixth-grade teacher who taught me that life has its ups-and-downs, but to see the good in things. He taught me too that I was special, that I had something to offer.

–The coworker who’s running a full Ironman triathlon — a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride and a 26.2-mile marathon run — and should be worrying about his own upcoming race, but goes around helping others, cheering them to do their best.

–The elderly woman who checks on my mother each day, making sure that she gets up-and-around and gets out of her apartment.

–The friend who took me out for lunch recently, letting me vent for much of the hour on a work-related issue and proceeded to pick-up the check because he thought it was “the nice thing to do.”

–The mother of a former student who recently sent my wife a thank you note that has put a permanent smile on my wife’s face.

–The clerk at Dunkin Donuts who takes great pride in her job and serves me my coffee (my daily dose of adrenaline) each day so quickly that I’m always surprised how fast I’m in-and-out and on my way.

–The professor, who helped pave the way for a summer internship for my daughter and has encouraged her to believe in her dream.

–The cashier today at Five Guys (I had to treat myself) who was so happy that she had gotten into an accident. Happy? Yea, I had to question that too. In quick staccato bursts, she told me that a little old lady hit her driving into work, but the accident caused no damage. I still wasn’t sure about the happy part. She went onto say that she’s pregnant and the accident could have been so much worse. She and her baby were fine though and she felt lucky to be alive. How could I not be happy and grateful after hearing that story?

Small stories? Yes, that is true, but they make all the difference in the world. They are what make life fun and interesting . . . and worthwhile!