Hello and good day!
Here are two things that give me a lot of optimism about the future.
Good moms and girl scouts.
As I've mentioned many, many times before in these daily emails, there are very few people on the planet who talk to more strangers on a daily basis than me.
I spend a good 2-3 hours every single day walking around the shopping center where one of our chocolate shops is located spreading the word that we are giving away free hot chocolate.
We give away free hot chocolate because it is a fun thing to do, and it gets people into the store. But mostly because it is fun. I personally do the walking around because it is good exercise, and it is uplifting to talk to real people in the real world.
I start my day very early and do my walking around late afternoon. It is a good time for me to decompress and get some fresh air while still doing productive work. Anyhow, I see a lot of humanity walking around the shopping center.
I see people of all ages, genders, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and any other thing you could think of to define a person and separate them into their own little group. From my experience, regardless of the label you put on a person, something like 99% of people are friendly and pleasant, and of course, like chocolate.
But in particular what I love to come across is a good mom. I come across them several times per day. When a mom is with her kids, I don't walk up and start talking.
I have a big white sign and I stand where it is busy and show it to people. If a mom with kids wants to come over and talk to me, I will give more information and give them directions to get to the shop. But if they don't approach, I leave them be.
A mom with kids is a busy person with a lot on her mind. She doesn't need a stranger coming up and adding even more clutter to an already chaotic situation. Sometimes though, I overhear conversations between good moms and their kids. The conversations crack me up and warm my heart.
Here is a sample conversation between a good mom and her kids coming out of a restaurant where they ate lunch.
Mom: Come kids, we're parked over here.
Kid 1: Mommy, where are we going now?
Mom: We're going food shopping now.
Kid 2: I don't want to go food shopping.
Mom: There is no food in the house. We have to go.
Kid 1: Mom, why do we have to eat food?
Mom: Because our bodies need energy.
Kid 2: I only like some food. Why do I always have to eat food I don't like?
Mom: Certain foods have things our bodies need, like vitamins and minerals. We eat those things to be healthy and strong.
Kid 1: But why doesn't all food taste good?
Kid 2: Yeah, why can't all food be our favorite food?
Mom: Thats just the way it is kids. We are made that way. Some food tastes good but isn't good for you and some food we eat because our bodies need it. Now get in the car and buckle yourselves in.
Kid 1: Mom, why is that guy holding a sign? What does it say?
Mom: That is the chocolate guy. He is reminding everybody that there is free hot chocolate.
Kid 2: Free hot chocolate! Can we go? Please mom? Please?
Mom: Not today kids, we are busy. Some other day.
Kid 1: Please mom! Please! We'll do anything.
Mom: Not today, but some other day I promise.
Kid 2: Awwww man. Okay.
The second Kid 1: Why is the sky blue mom?
Mom: It is because of the way the atmosphere scatters light.
Kid 1: What's an atmosphere?
I'm going to cut it off here. In reality, these conversations can go on even longer. This is an abridged version.I stand there with my sign and listen as these moms patiently answer question after question.
Once in a while, a mom loses her patience and snaps at her kids to get in the car and give it a rest with the questions. But on the whole, the moms are very patient and loving and that means the kids will probably turn out that way as well.
As of late, there are tons of girl scouts out in front of grocery stores selling girl scout cookies.
To be honest, I am not even sure what the girl scouts do as an organization.
I had a great aunt who lived to be 97 and she managed a girl scout chapter until her final days. As an aside, that same aunt wrote me a letter every two weeks during her last years. But she didn't send me the letters. She wrote them in a book which she left for me. It covers the time when I was 4 - 6 years old.
Thanks to my great aunt Opal, I have a written history of that period of my life, and it is one of my prized possessions.
I bring that up because even though I don't know much about the girl scouts, I know it must be a decent organization if my aunt Opal was involved in it.
Anyhow, what I like about seeing the girl scouts out there is twofold.First off, some of the girls are very bold salespeople and I deeply appreciate seeing young people out there hustling and talking to their neighbors.
Second, I like seeing people lining up and doing business with these young ladies. It is a good lesson on getting out there and getting after it. If you go out and talk to people and try to make something happen, you can.
That is a great lesson for a young person to learn and I see dozens of young ladies out there per week putting that lesson to good use.
And those things give me hope. It is these little day to day activities that form the broader things we call society and culture.
In fact, society and culture aren't even real things. They are mental constructs that serve to summarize the common and average activities that most people in a time and place engage in.
Moms are being patient and girl scouts out hustling are factors that contribute to the building up of a workable society, in my humble opinion.
Well, I am running out of steam a bit now, so I thank you for your time.
In conclusion, be patient and loving and do business with people who are out there fighting for it!
I hope that you have a truly blessed day!
