By Gio Gennero | Sports Writer
Have you ever had “just one of those days”? A day when everything is annoying you and everyone is bothering you, even though nothing out of the norm is happening. Who hasn’t had one of those days? It’s OK to not be OK. These days are terrible and make it so easy to have an attitude and be snappy with people. I completely understand it. However, we have to make it a point to draw the line and not let it affect how we’re treating others.
While small interactions seem to mean nothing — and most of them might not — a single interaction can often make or break someone’s day. The smallest things can have the biggest impact.
There is a scene in the sitcom “How I Met Your Mother” in which the cast is at the Empire State Building and someone tells the main character, Ted, that he is too quick to tell people he loves them. Ted then takes his “I love you” back from his girlfriend and sarcastically tells a man passing by that he loves him. The man stops walking, looks at Ted and responds, “Thank you, man; I was going up there to jump,” before giving Ted a big hug. The man then walks toward the exit and runs into the other main characters, who also use him to make a point and unknowingly help him. As he left, he exclaimed, “I’m having the best day.”
I’m not saying that you have to go around telling every person you see you love them or even that every little thing you do is going to save someone’s life. I just want to encourage everyone to handle their interactions with people as positively as possible. Spread some love. Encourage people. Randomly give out compliments. Tell someone you like their shirt, shoes or hair. You never know how much someone might need to hear something good.
You never know what someone is going through at any given moment. Even if you can’t find it in you to do or say something nice, at the very least don’t be a jerk. I remember a couple of years ago, I was having a string of terrible days. I couldn’t catch a break, and everything was seemingly going wrong, and I was so upset. When I was out getting food, the cashier decided to give me my food for free simply because he liked my shirt. It turned my whole day around and made me feel way better.
I encourage everyone reading this to do something nice today. Hold the door for someone, give a compliment or even smile and wave at someone. If you’re having a bad day, that’s OK too. Try not to take your frustrations out on other people. Staying as positive as possible will not only have a good impact on others but also help your own mental health.
