Between teaching preschool and being a nanny for a few different families in the last couple of years I thought I had read every children's book ever written. Wrong! There is a book called "Have You Filled a Bucket Today?" The book talks about how we each have an invisible bucket that holds our feelings. When our bucket is full, we are happy. When are bucket is empty, we are sad. The book teaches kids to fill other people's buckets by telling them nice things or doing things for others, which also fills their own bucket. But on the other hand, there are also bucket dippers. We all have bucket dippers in our lives, as children and as adults. Bucket dippers say or do mean things, which empty their own bucket and empty the buckets of those who they hurt. Bucket dippers dip into other's buckets thinking that it will fill their own, which never works. I know what you're thinking, enough about buckets, right?
Well, whatever. It's a good metaphor.
A few years ago on facebook I signed up for a daily message called "God Wants You to Know." You get an inspirational message every day or two and sometimes it doesn't really apply to my life, but sometimes it is really like God wanted me to know this message TODAY. I had one last week that really stuck to me and have been waiting to blog about it. So, here it is...
"Everyone needs encouragement, but it's so easy to forget to take the time to give it. Think of someone in your life whom you appreciate today, or someone who made you smile, - and tell them! Even if it's a stranger, take a moment to let them know you noticed."
There were a few things that happened in the last two weeks that made me think of this message. One of them was at my new job, I was asked to find out some specific information on an undergrad research internship and volunteer opportunities at my new job. I was to report back to the doctor, who was on vacation. Since I leave at 11 every morning, getting this project 10 minutes before I leave made me freak out a little bit. So I did a few quick things, stayed a few minutes late and wrote him back before I left. The next day, I received an email from the doctor that was sent the day prior. And this is what it read:
"Thank you so much for all of that helpful information, Leslie. That was a quick response.... Impressive."
Let's just say, my bucket was filled at that moment, especially since the doctor has said a whopping 2 words to me in my 3 weeks of working there.
Another moment that made me think of this message was on the bus last week. Yes, you see crazy people doing crazy things, but you also see random acts of kindness. We made a stop to pick up a man in a wheelchair when a passenger on the bus asked me kindly if I would move for just a minute while he did something. So, I get up and move to a different seat, while this man flips up a few rows of seats, pulls out some clips and has the whole handicap section prepared before the bus driver even got out of his seat. The passenger walks to the door and guides the man up the ramp, clips his wheelchair into the hooks and strikes up conversation with him. And just 3 blocks down the road, he does the same thing to get the man in the wheelchair off the bus. It's wasn't this passenger's job to do this, he doesn't know the man in the wheelchair, and it didn't matter. He took the 5 minutes out of his time while sitting on the bus to help not only the man in the wheelchair, but the bus driver as well. I sat there silently... thinking how nice it was for a complete stranger to do that for him. Had I read my God wants you to know that day, I would have taken the time to let him know I noticed.
A little recognition goes a long way. Now go on and fill some buckets! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment