In this world, you get back what you give.A few nights ago, a grumpy man at the donut shop (don’t ask me why I was at the donut shop again – long week, I say) – scowled as he walked in.
Gimme three donuts! He barked at the lady behind the counter.
She frowned, and got the donuts, not saying a word. Another man, sitting on the counter on a red stool near the cash register, remarked to the man ordering the donuts: Well she’s not a very happy camper, now is she?
The grump grunted and replied, Nope! She never is. He snatched his donuts and walked out of the store, past the line up of late-night folks crammed into the hole-in-the-wall shop to get some sugar fixings.
The next lady in the line stepped up and said, softly, Hi, How are you? The wrinkled face of the Chinese woman behind the counter relaxed and smiled. Good, good, she bubbled, bopping around the trays and the donuts. Her eyes crinkled a bit between her brows, mashing her nose in a bit. What can I get you?
I am standing in this line, the third person next, waiting for a donut. I watch these interactions, and I can’t help but think – we are mirrors of each other. People reflect back what we put out to the world. Often, the grump in them is really just the grump in us.
What are you putting out there?
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This post was inspired by a midnight run to a donut shop down on Polk Street in beautiful San Francisco, CA. I love it. You do have all the power in the world – the power over your mind, and essentially, how you frame and see the world. What do you see? And what do you put out there?