Monday, July 13, 2009

Take a Penny, Leave a Penny

In every interaction with others we take a little of who me meet with us and leave a little of ourselves with them. What and how much we take and leave depends on a number of things, like time spent together, the level of relationship, and the depth of conversation.


Many times this interaction happens without much thought. For example, when we check out at the grocery store it may not catch our attention that there is a relationship occuring with the cashier for that brief moment. What we take from them may be the courtesy of their service, what we leave may be a bright spot in their day. We could be that one customer who doesn't give them a hard time about anything.

Other times it is the deepest, strongest connection possible and what we take and give has a much more significant impact, sometimes soul stirring and often life changing. Think of that special someone and how every time you hug them the world seems to melt away momentarily and all is good & perfect. What we are sharing are pieces of our soul that intermingle with the other person's and create a stronger bond.

Unfortunately there are those times when we interact with others and make choices that have negative consequences. When we get angry or yell, when we choose to ignore or belittle, and when we mistreat or talk down to someone what we are doing is taking away joy & leaving darkness. Also, when someone treats us that way, we are assaulted with the same negative emotions. What we have to do is learn to recognize these instances and choose to not take part in them. If we are the ones giving negativity, consider the moment and change that behavior. If we are on the receiving end, learn to walk away and take none of it with you.

In any case, you must think about your role. Whether you a stranger, co-worker, team-mate, family member, lover, or friend you have a wonderful opportunity to exchange a part of you and have it mean something good.

Take only positivity and leave only love.

CJ

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

So eloquently said, what a difference WE MAKE huh?

Anonymous said...

I am moving soon to another apartment soon. There are many things that I will miss about living on 7511 Beechnut; location, location, location. There are 4 grocery stores nearby, A Sears in the nearby shopping mall (my favorite clothing store, multiple fast-food chains that serve as a "back-up" for the days that I decide not to cook, a hospital directly across the street.

And I could literally go on. But the most important aspect that I will miss when I load the last box in the moving truck will be my 4 year relationship with my apartment manager; Ana Morales--the most awesome property manager that anyone could ask for.

I don't know what part of myself that I have left with Ana. But I do know what part of herself that she has left with me; she is caring, always putting the needs of the tenant first; she is not afraid to take action (rules being broken on the property), she is thoughtful (gives Christmas cards to every tenant), and most of all despite the way that she may be treated by a rude tenant she does not respond accordingly.

I know Ana. I have spent time with her in the office. You see she doesn't just accept your rent payment and then move on to the next thing she has to do that day---instead she always takes a few minutes to chat with each tenant who wants too. There have been more than a few times that I have had to wait to pay rent and talk with her because someone else arrived before I did.

If all she did was just take the rent---there would be no reason to wait. I hate waiting. But in this case---if I'm waiting to talk with Ana I don't mind.