TTOAST

TTOAST

Well, This is week two (I missed last weeks TTOAST) and I just seem unable to see anyone going to any great lengths to be nice to strangers. As a matter of fact, a couple of weeks ago I was standing in line at the local Wal-Mart (it is usually only a last ditch that will get me to walk in those places) and just before we had walked in I asked my mother if she felt prepared for a trial by fire. It is ALWAYS HELL to go into one, maneuver around the gazillion people that have not a care that they are buying sub-standard products that they will have to replace in short time and thus spend at least twice the amount of money to have the same usage out of a product. Then there is the evil of waiting in line to pay. Yes. I think that is evil. I have a quick way to pay and get out, but that unfortunately was closed off to me because I had to go later than I normally would.

SO, as we were standing there, I was talking about the heinous wait and that I try to tell myself that it is a way to teach me patience… when we started talking about how it may be how our world is so keen on places like Wal-Mart that may be destroying kindness. It is an awful experience, a cheap one, and for certain things (like food in the grocery store section) are not sub standard, but others, well, they just are. Then there is the wait and the hurry to get the H - E - double hockey sticks out of there and being faced with price checks and long lines that frankly, I think, make people NOT want to be nice.

I am one of those gullible souls that like to believe that when people do nice things around us, that we are more likely to mimic that behavior and do nice things… Wal-Mart does not promote this. I don’t think it was even an intention, but is a by product of the economy and population mind-set. It is a shame. It is almost like we don’t expect generosity (because it is hard work) so we don’t practice it.

Add in:
Virtue is a state of war, and to live in it we have always to combat with ourselves.
~ Jean-Jacques Rousseau

So, what have I seen that has been nice?

I don’t know, I saw my tomatoes start blooming, I saw my 5 different types of mint take off and root, I am watching my basil and other herbs flourish… Oh that is another post on how I don’t get planting annuals (especially in a desert). But, it has been nice.

What have I seen… my mother cleaned my car up a bit and found the sippy cup of very spoiled kefir that has eluded my eyes but not my nose for a few days. That was nice of her. I did not ask, she just did.

Also, one woman that I have known for a few years and reads the blog finally got to meet Squink. She took the time to email me and tell me how adorable he was. That was nice of her.

What have you seen?

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