planet Krista
There are times I am convinced that I really do exist in my own world. Here's an example from this morning: I was on a busy road, stopped at a red light, and all of a sudden a huge flock of tiny birds (warblers? sparrows? I'm not sure) flew across the intersection. They were flying quite low, so anyone with a pulse would have seen them if they were paying any attention to the traffic or the light or the world in which they live.
The birds descended on a small tree near the intersection, and their movements were perfectly orchestrated so that they covered the tree as one unit. It was incredible to watch as a green tree turned brown with birds ... and then they all fluttered their wings simultaneously and the group flew to another tree and repeated their conquest.
It was beautiful to watch the birds rise and fall in unison, and I caught myself smiling as I ducked my head to see them fly above my car. I looked around me for a fellow observer, and was disappointed to see cell phones and mascara wands instead. The quality of that moment would have been multiplied if I had been able to share it with someone else, even if only through a quick smile as traffic moved and forgot the synchronized fliers. But instead I drove away with almost a burdensome feeling, a feeling of sadness that so many people miss out on so much beauty, every moment of every day ... and it almost seems like there's nothing I can do about it.
I won't allow myself to be caught up in the oblivion that seems to plague the world. I'll keep looking up and smiling at the birds, even if I'm the only one doing it.
catch them doing good
Tonight I went to two different stores in a row(sort of a stretch for me), and at both places enjoyed exceptional service. Maybe I was in a better mood than usual, maybe I emitted a friendly vibe in my comfy college sweatshirt (from my alma mater) and yoga pants ... but I was wowed by the service provided by the two employees with whom I interacted in each environment.
In both stores, I went to the customer service desk and asked to speak with a manager.
In both stores, the person behind the customer service desk immediately looked worried and asked if there was something with which they could help me. To both people I said no, and insisted (in a non-confrontational way) to speak with the manager.
I spoke to the manager in each store, and the start of the conversations was almost identical ... "is something wrong, ma'am?" I fought hard not to laugh, shook each of their hands, and told them that I was sorry to see that they seemed to be immediately ready to hear a complaint.
I engaged in conversation with each manager for a few minutes, and praised the respective employees ... the managers seemed surprised and also a bit relieved. I told them that I wished they received more calls with compliments instead of complaints.
A sort of "bonus" was when I learned that, at the second store, it was the employee's second day on the job ... and I was happy to see the manager head toward her at the end of our conversation.
My experiences tonight were a powerful reminder to me of the power of words, and of the tongue, and of what a very negative world in which we live. I am re-instituting the personal challenge of leaving each person and each place a little brighter than it was before I was there ... and I'm hoping that's what happened in each of those stores tonight.
