Tonight's picture was taken in January of 2005. Mattie was almost three years old and by that point LOVED tub time. In the beginning Mattie truly disliked water and bathing him was a challenge. But then he turned a corner and fell in love with playing in the tub. He literally would throw his hotwheel cars and other toys in the tub just to play with them. I always thought it was ironic that I went from coaxing Mattie in the tub and encouraging him to stay in long enough to wash him. To then the exact opposite..... spending hours in the water and having to drag him out because he was water logged.
Quote of the day: Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little. ~ Edmund Burke
I think there is a lot of truth in this quote. We believe that our actions have to be big and bold in order for it to matter. Otherwise, perhaps it isn't worth doing? The media is notorious for this........ highlighting the provocative, the bizarre, or the extreme! However, the things that are most reportable are the unexpected gifts we give one another each day. It is through the ordinary acts of human kindness, that extraordinary things can happen for both the giver and the receiver.
What am I talking about? Today I was in a meeting. After this professional meeting was over, someone stayed behind to talk with me. I have talked with this person before, as I know this person feels comfortable chatting with me about all sorts of issues. In any case, after our conversation, as I was going to leave, he wanted me to know that my positive feedback to him about his work makes a big difference in his life.
The kind of feedback I got today, I have been fortunate enough to have received from other people as well. Specifically that I made them feel included, took their comments and feedback seriously, made them feel better about themselves and in the process they felt a bond or connection with me. I wouldn't necessarily have known any of this unless they gave me this feedback. In many cases, I learn after the fact how something I did influenced or helped someone. Which causes me to pause, because the greatest gift I can give anyone is that of time and understanding. I don't expect anyone to notice what I do or to thank me. I do these things not for the kudos but for two reasons..... the first is I love learning about people and understanding how they think and feel and second, as Burke's quote points out, I do think how we interact and treat others can have profound long term effects.
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