If Everyone Cared by Nickleback
Tuesday January 27th, 2012, more than 63,000 people have committed to participating in a Facebook advertised event called "Piercing the Darkness". And some may participate but haven't publicly confirmed their intention. Either way it does my heart good that if nothing else, the awareness is out there. I did my part by spreading the word to the approximately 300 friends I have on the social media network and supplement it with whoever I can reach in this forum.
The idea is a beautiful one and magnificent in it's simplicity. In this day and age of electronic communication with e-mail, text, BBM, computer chats and yes even blogs, we have lost a sense of humanity. The heart and soul of our fellow citizens and neighbours. At work, we can be so caught up in what tasks that we must accomplish that we barely speak to the person in the next cubicle. We get home and often find ourselves eating on the fly as we dash off to the gym or social event. When we have the time to sit down and enjoy a meal we can find ourselves alone with the rest of the household off pursuing other endeavors.
In all this go go non-stop frantic lifestyle we may forget about the person who is usually alone, maybe lonely, perhaps sad. When we commit to Piercing the Darkness we are taking 30 seconds from the busy pace of our own lives to remember those around us and tell them in our own way that they are valued. Some of the suggestions were to leave a note of encouragement on the bathroom mirror at work, or in the lunch room. You could leave a note amongst the produce at the grocery store showing appreciation for the clerk who keeps it stocked and fresh for you. The wait staff at a restaurant often leave happy faces or jot "Thank you" on the back of the bill, how about responding in kind with a written note along with the tip.
I don't know if it happens at a lot of the Tim Horton's Drive-Thrus, but it has been written up in the local newspaper. It seems that on most mornings at a particular Tims' in town, someone in the drive-thru will begin a chain reaction of paying for the order of the next person in line along with his/her own. Expecting to pay for their coffee, that person pays for the next person and so on. Paying it forward. Someone started it because someone cared. And for as long as that chain of gratitude goes on, you have a lot of happy people sharing a good news story at work or with their family. A little way to show you care about strangers.
I am inspired by this unselfish kindness that I can spread to the people I encounter on a daily basis. I've left a few notes as I've gone about my business today and there weren't too many people that I encountered that I didn't wish a wonderful day. We need to do that more, we need to do that everyday. I for one am going to try. We all need to care more. And when I am in a financial position to do so, I want to be the person who starts a chain reaction and puts a smile on the face of my neighbour. Maybe I will put a little sunshine in a day that was feeling a little dark for them. If we all put a little pin hole in the darkness, we may soon have a large aperture for the sunshine to stream in.
YOU ARE LOVED AND VALUED AND I AM GRATEFUL FOR ALL YOU DO! :)
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