The True Book of Mostly Unrelated Stories: On Optimism

by John Mooy

As you know we’re all getting ready to head into a new year.  And each year we come up with our promises to ourselves to do better, be nicer and accomplish more.  What often times follows is a year in which we didn’t necessarily do better, and those times when, YES, I probably could have been nicer, and I didn’t necessarily accomplish as much as I wanted to.

HOWEVER:
This is a new year.  Clear the slates and perhaps create a different approach.  Don’t try to do too much.  But what you do, do it as well as you can.  Look for the good around you.  And keep this definition of optimism in mind.  Just a suggestion.

OPTIMISM:
Hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something.

Now that’s a pretty uncomplicated definition.  Easy to understand.  But will be see it play out in everyday life. 

WELL:
Yesterday I was at the grocery store which was packed.  It wasn’t that I minded being there, but it was the third time of the day that I had been there.  I probably wasn’t in the happiest of moods and then something happened that I had never witnessed before.

READ ON.
BE POSITIVE:
It was the country and western singer Willie Nelson who said, “Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.”  I happened to think of Willie Nelson because I had just heard one of his songs on the radio while on the way back to the store……………….. again.  Fittingly, it was his song which you’ve all heard titled, “On the Road Again.”  My plight seemed to be not quite as serious as I had thought.

So, there I was at the store which was packed.  I was able to locate the items I needed in a fairly short period of time and immediately went over to the automated checkout line along with everyone else.  As I started to scan my items, an attractive young lady approached me and asked me a question.

THE QUESTION:  
“Could I buy your groceries for you?”  I should tell you I had on my typical John Mooy work attire and didn’t appear as if I had stepped off the cover of a GQ Magazine.  You know the look.

At first, in all honesty I suspiciously wondered, what is this lady doing.

THE RESPONSE: 
I said that’s very kind, but you don’t have to do that and she responded that she wanted to.  IN no time she had whisked her card across the payment screen, and she had in fact paid for my groceries.  I thanked her and told her that was a very kind act.

AND THEN I WATCHED:
I didn’t leave the store immediately.  Instead, I walked over to a bench and sat down and watched this lady pay for cart after cart of groceries.  

I know that many of the folks whose groceries she paid for could certainly use the help.  

And the bottom line was.  SHE HELPED THEM and she received the satisfaction of helping complete strangers.

In 2025 I will carry that story with me and most likely share it with others.  

DO BETTER, BE NICER AND ACCOMPLISH MORE.

Have a great week, Marcellus.
You’re the best.

And from George Bernard Shaw:
“Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were and ask why not.”

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