Perks of Positivity

I have this tendency to take random parts of my day, and find a deeper and more significant meaning behind it. Probably why I enjoy blogging so much and also why I went to seminary. And today was no exception.

I hoped on the Light Rail to go to the Newport Mall in Jersey City. I needed some kind of warm rain jacket to get me through a NYC commuter winter. The day was beautiful and I was enjoying being out and relaxing while I shopped around the mall. I ended up getting such a great deal on my coat that I decided to hit up the nail salon by our apartment on my way home for a manicure (it was very much needed...poor nails). I love this salon. They are so friendly! The girl who always does my nails speaks very little English, so I always try to speak Spanish to her. Now, my Spanish is fair at best...but I try. Catalina also helps me when she can figure out what I'm trying to say. And if she can't, she just laughs and at least I've entertained her. So today, just like my other visits, I went in, sat down and started the hilarity that are our conversations. Afterwards, I decided to go for a 10min chair massage. I get in the chair...and I hear them talking to each other in Spanish. All I hear is "paid for 10min", "set clock for 30", and what I thought was "warm feet" but really ended up being "warm towel". So. For $10, I ended up getting a 30min massage, a 5 minute scalp rub, and it all ended with this amazing warm towel rub. I imagine that is what happens in Heaven on a daily basis.

When I got up, I looked at her and said "Wow, that was a lot more than 10 minutes!!" And the owner, who can speak english, responded with "the girls like when you come in because you make the effort to enjoy their company, so this is their way of saying thank you."

Friends, NEVER underestimate the power of human connection. I wonder how many people go into a nail salon or restauarant, and make no effort to try and get to know their servers. How often does a bartender give you a round on the house if you aren't friendly? Sure, you go in expecting a certain degree of service...but in my 25 years, I've never seen being ugly, getting attitude, or flat ignoring the person who is serving you, pay off with anything but pure frustration when you leave.

Also, how many times have I heard people say, "Well, they dont speak English so I dont know how to talk to them". That's fine, you don't have to. But there is some power behind meeting people where they are. And you know what? It's not even that hard to go into the salon and make the effort to speak Spanish with them. I actually find it fun! We all know how to say hello and thank you. People are not objects, whether you can understand them or not. They are humans. With souls. And feelings. They respond to positive energy, just like you do. Just like I do. And I find that I enjoy my day and my life a lot better when I'm friendly to ALL people around me. I also find myself getting amazing massages and random perks every now and then too :)

It all boils down to the fact that we all crave human connection. And crave a positive human connection. So much of life is negative. So many people out there are rude, and ungrateful, and have hateful things to say. And if I join them,  not only am I putting negative energy into the world, that is also what I'm taking out.  And in my experience, the world sends enough negative connections to you without you making an effort to reciprocate or provoke them. So, I'm doing my best to only put out positive energy. To find small, medium, and large ways of making positive human connections during my days. Because I know that if I'm craving those connections this badly, others are too.