Most of life is waiting. If you aren’t waiting in a line somewhere, you are waiting in traffic. You wait for your show to start, you wait for the laundry to be done. Things are more defined by their wait than by anything else. So it doesn’t really matter how long you have to wait, because you are going to wait in some form anyway.
Maybe you have had this experience. You are in traffic and someone comes up fast from behind you, and zooms in front of you, and disappears in the distance. Man, the person must have a pretty full and busy life, don’t they? A funny thing often happens. You end up catching up with them again because of a light that is red, a traffic accident, or whatever. Then you think to yourself, “What did that person gain by that dangerous behavior?” From what I can see, nothing was gained.
All of this leads me to be very generous when I am in public with my time. I was at a cafe and I was first and another patron came in and just had a simple coffee and treat. I told the boss who was busy working that she should be taken care of ahead of me. It didn’t matter if I had to wait a few more minutes. In response, the boss and other coworkers said to me “You are so sweet.” It feels good to be kind, and that is the reason I do that. I would have felt good even if they hadn’t recognized me or said anything.
The best feelings in life happen naturally and without being recognized by others. I have not won many awards in my life, but I am rewarded every day when I am kind to others. This isn’t a feel-good statement, but a concrete one. Knowing that I choose my reactions, knowing that I can be and am a generous person, feels incredibly good. It is a wonderful feeling knowing that you have choices and that even when difficult things are happening, you can be a positive force in the world.
You aren’t a kind person to get compliments, but because it is part of who you are.