Why Am I doing this?

If you've seen my other blog, you know I have a lot on my plate. I'm a mom, a teacher, a wife, a daughter and a struggling writer. I can also be very snarky and some what of pessimist, depending on my mood.

But I'm also a big believer of little things make a big difference.

I recycle and feel guilty when I don't. I or more accurately had my husband change the light bulbs to those fancy more expensive one.

I smile and say thank you to everyone who helps me.

Why?

Because you never know what a little thing can do.

One snide comment to a stranger could ruin his or her day, who then passes his or her crappy mood to someone else. It becomes a cycle of crappiness.

On the flip side, one nice thing from a stranger could make someone's day.

A few weeks ago I bought a woman a cookie. Sounds simple enough. She was having a bad day and announced to the entire store that very fact. I smiled at her and said "you should get a cookie." Then I purchased my items, including a cookie for her.
She started to tear up.

Later she told me, she co-signed for a car loan for her daughter. Her daughter missed a few payments, which came to this woman's attention when she was rejected for a loan because her credit score dropped nearly 200 points.

I'm not saying this cookie saved her day, but it might have saved this woman's daughter's life.

This inspired me to do "Be Nice to a Stranger (or my family) Month" I wanted to help people who I would never see again or people I often neglect.

It's not about forcing someone to say thank you, or making people think I'm a nice person, but to do something nice for someone, just because I can.

I'm not expecting a life changing experience, I'm not expecting a world wide movement of niceness. But maybe for a month, someone reading this will do something nice for someone else.

Not because it's the holidays, but because its easy and it can make a small difference.