Gratitude Can Be Contagious

I had a wonderful experience that proved to me that I have changed and that the change is contagious. The best part of it was how instantaneously my new behaviour manifested a change in those around me.

I was standing in line at, of all places, Goodwill, purchasing some wonderful books, one of which was called Brain Wave Vibration, and just about to be helped after waiting about 5 minutes for the ladies in front of me to buy all the clothes they had found.

A young man came up to me and timidly asked, "Would you mind if I stepped in front of you here, I have one item and I am in a real hurry." Without even thinking anything of it, I began to tell the young man he was welcome to cut in front, when out of nowhere, well actually right behind me, came the shrill voice of a very displeased lady, who said, in a fast and curt manner, "Well I have only one item too, but if you cut in front of him, you cut in front of me too, and I have been waiting patiently here also..."

I turned to the young man, and saw the look of utter disappointment on his face as he realized, it was not just up to me, but up to her also, and he had done her the disservice of not asking both of us, and now clearly he had his answer from her.

I stood for only a moment and the answer came so clearly, that it immediately seemed the only thing to do. Without a word, I walked around behind the lady who had been behind me, and then turned to the young man, and said, "you can now slip in front of me."

She immediately turned to me and apologized if she had offended me, she did not mean to, when I stopped her short and calmly, with a smile said, "you did nothing of the sort, it is just obvious to me that he is in a hurry, and I am in no hurry, so I am relinquishing my spot to you so he has one less person to wait behind."

She turned to him and said, "well you can get in front of me too, I'm sorry, I'm in no hurry either."

He thanked us both, made his purchase and ran off ahead of the ladies who were still gathering their bags for the trip to the parking lot.

The cashier smiled a knowing smile to me, and nothing else was said of the event, and yet I walked away knowing that I had shown some people another way to be, which was not the way most go through their days. Gratitude is a principle which, as it bubbles near the surface of our emotions, becomes easier to give to others without thought of guarding it only for ourselves. The more we give it away, the more it blesses us and others, and the more we have to give next time. It is one of those things that gets bigger, the more we give it away.