Good Deeds

I read somewhere recently that it takes 3 positive things to outweigh a negative thing. So when something crappy happens to you, it takes three positive things happening to you for you to get back to feeling even keeled.

I don't know why but this tidbit of information has stuck with me over the past few days. I debated with myself about whether this is true. Having been in some crappy situations over the past few months I can say that yes, I think it might be true.

I have been lucky in life that I rarely feel blue...but when I do feel blue? I feel BLUE. And not a whole lot can snap me out of it. But you know, I have noticed that small good things do add up and suddenly the feeling comes back that everything will be ok and don't worry about a thing because every little thing is gonna be alright.

I love that feeling.

And that is what makes positive things so important. Even going slightly out of our way for someone, can be one of those small good things that gets that person back to feeling like life is good.

For instance:

I have dealt with jerky people in my life, for sure. But can I remember most of them? No. Can I recall the exact circumstances of these situations? Not Really. But I will tell you who I do remember.

Halloween of 2003. I was 23 years old, taking the T home at 7Am, still in costume from the festivies the night before with my friend Meg. It had been a ROUGH night and I mean rough. It entailed several parties, hitch hiking, coming quite close to sleeping on the street, and assorted other ill advised debauchery. (Ah to be young again). But the fact remains that on the T ride home that morning, Meg and I felt like utter shit and looked like complete shit. As the train traveled to Braintree we complained to each other about how bad we needed coffee, but both of us had spent all our cash the night before and woe was us for dealing with this wretched morning without caffeine. A few stops before ours, a man got up and walked over to us. He laid a $5 bill on the seat next to us and said "I think the Dunkin Donuts fairy left you something." and then exited the train. Meg and I looked at each other and knew that the day (if not LIFE) would be good from there on out.

And here we are 5 years later almost and I still think about that guy and his good deed from time to time. And it really makes me think about how people do nice things in passing for others, and they have no idea how that small gesture sticks with them.

Which is not to say you should go handing out $5s to hungover girls on the train, but you never know if your little nice gesture will be the kind of thing that person thinks about years later. If it will be one of the three things that makes them forget something crappy.

Especially when they are hungover and in need of caffeine.