Small steps to make your day a little better

*Warning: Unicorns and Skittles may occur when reading this blog post*

Some of my close friends and family know I’ve faced a bit of a challenge with the transition to working in Manhattan after spending most of my life in upstate New York and Connecticut. This is no way a jab to the City of New York because I love this place and its people. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t. That said, New Yorkers are known for being tough, and often times (from an outside observer) that toughness can be a bit harsh or even scary at times. Thin-skinned – beware.

Here’s a quick example of how being in New York and interacting with people here differs from the small towns I grew up and went to college in:

My BF (who does not work in the city and is very much a country boy) told me how he was in Grand Central Terminal one day and held a door open for a young woman who looked perplexed and then terrified that he was going to attack her. Are we that conditioned to assume no one will ever hold the door for anyone else that we get scared when someone actually does?

This morning specifically was my inspiration to write this post. I had a less-than-great day yesterday for a few reasons and was just not feeling like my perky self. I was unsociable and bitter and those are the nicest words I can use. Some days, it’s just a little bit harder to be happy.

So, this morning, I got off to a much better start for these reasons:

1)      I was sitting scrunched between four people on the train this morning which typically would put anyone in a funk. Can I have some personal space here, people? However, I just finished reading The Help and can’t make a decision on what to tackle next. So, I asked the people around me quietly if they’ve read anything good lately (they looked friendly and approachable). Fifty minutes later, our group was chatting away as we pulled into Grand Central, business cards had been exchanged and we discussed getting our own little book club together.

Of course I understand some people simply do not want to be bothered while commuting and most days that includes me. But this situation worked out quite nicely.

2)      While in my good mood this morning from the above impromptu socializing, I was walking up 42nd Street to the office when I saw an earring bounce around on the ground in front of me. I picked it up, took a look around at the women in front of me to see who might be wearing the earring’s match. I’m sure I looked suspicious. I found the woman, handed it to her and she thanked me.

Ok, so where the heck am I going with these little stories? No, I am not Spiderwoman for picking up a woman’s earring nor am I claiming to be. I just did it because I’d want someone to do the same for me. Ahh, the Golden Rule, I couldn’t be less original.

This spurs me further into thoughts about altruism. My psychology teacher sophomore year of college taught us about this warm and fuzzy concept and then crushed it like an ant on the sidewalk with “there’s no such thing as true altruism.” His thoughts? If you get a good feeling from helping someone, that’s considered a selfish tendency. I can go either way on the topic.

*Getting back to the point if there even is one*

All I’m saying is don’t be afraid to smile at someone, or strike up a conversation if it’s a fitting atmosphere, or rescue a fallen earring. It’s these little efforts that make life as a whole so much better for us individually and everyone else.