Taking the Santa Door

My husband and I were in San Diego watching as this young man made flowers out of palm leaves. We were sitting inside a restaurant sipping our vanilla lattes watching him entertain two little girls for quite some time. What my husband didn’t see was the girls each pick out a flower to take home and the mother walk away without giving a cent. The young man didn’t say a word but just continued creating. We left the restaurant and headed for our car, I turned around to see my husband talking with the man as he took a flower to give to me. My husband reached into his pocket and pulled out a $50. The young flower maker lit up.

Just as soon as we lose hope in people, someone else comes along to restore it.
Which person are you?
Are you the one who goes out of the way to take the door where there is no bell ringing Santa?
I mean even if you gave Santa a dollar everyday until Christmas it would only be a total of $25 dollars. Or “oh no” if you walked by 2 Santas a day that would be a total of $50 dollars until Christmas.

But to be fair, lets not just talk about money. This is the time of year where everyone is supposed to be of good cheer and good will. How easy it is for us to get caught up in our own “life bubble”. “Yikes! I’ve got the relatives coming, a house to clean, dinner to make, I still have 5 people to shop for, cards to mail, lights to put up, ahhhhhh”. You are in your own personal “life bubble”. Time to pop your head out and focus on what is around you.

In Martial Arts we say, “when you get caught up in the whole, focus on the part, when you are only focused on the part expand to the whole.” Time to expand, time to take a moment and remember what time of year it is. Be the person who restores another’s hope in mankind.

You can do this so easily. Put the phone away and talk with people in line. Smile at a stranger, ask the clerk who has been on her feet all day how her day is going. Buy the person in line behind you their coffee. Offer to take someone’s shopping cart back for him, take the Santa door.

There is so much we can do to spread good cheer, begin today. You may find you actually enjoy it so much that you want to go beyond the holiday season. Have fun! Merry Christmas.