Nothing But Blue Sky

I am trying hard to be more positive about everything, from the upcoming election to my personal life to local folks with whom I must deal with frequently.

My cashiers know me on sight at the grocery store. I am always polite to them. I smile and I compliment them on something. I say, "Thank you." I tell people I pass in the aisle that I like their jacket or their shoes. 

You never know what people are going through, and compliments are easy to offer up. But so few do it.

I am not by nature a positive person. I lean toward pessimism and depression. I look inward and overthink everything.

Stuff bothers me that other people seem to ignore. Maybe it bothers them, and no one speaks about it. People so seldom talk about anything other than surface discussion these days. Just, "Hi, how are you?" and then answer is, "Fine," and then you ask back and they say fine, too. You might ask about the family and get the same answer. Fine.

Everyone's fine.

I don't think everyone is fine, really, because if they were, it would not feel so angry when I go out in public. I see so many scowls on the faces of unhappy people that it's a little scary.

The woman that cuts my hair for me talked about this yesterday as she snipped away. "Everyone seems to angry and mad," she said. "Such short fuses."

What's to blame? I'm not sure. Social media, probably. Bad news on TV. Worry about the future. We're an aging area, lots of older folks, and we all have aches and pains. 

Maybe we're just all old and cranky.

Hence my desire to smile and be positive. I smile even if I have a mask on, because I hope it reaches my eyes. (I still wear a mask sometimes if I hear someone sneezing or coughing in the store. I don't want their germs.)

Who knows when a small compliment will help? I like your purse. Your hair looks great. Thank you for working today and doing a great job at checking me out.

Maybe it helps.

Can't hurt, can it?