When was the last time that you presented yourself with a thought provoking question? You know like “What is the meaning of my life?” I cannot say that I take time to do this regularly, but after reading the article linked below it did make me want to do it more often.
Why? Because we live such busy lives and days and months go by and we do not take the time to ponder thoughtful questions, we just continue in the fast lane never giving ourselves a break to wonder about the “what ifs.”
It is thinking about the “what ifs” that could change our mind about something or the course we are traveling. They can cause us to open our eyes to things we have never seen before. These questions can cause us to journey down memory lane and re-enjoy moments of the past.
One of the questions in the article that I asked myself was “What small act of kindness was I once shown that I will never forget?” I had to think for a few minutes and then one great memory that made me feel good popped into my mind.
My husband and I were at a conference and it was happy hour in the hotel so we decided to get a drink before going out to eat. When we stepped into the bar I noticed an acquaintance (I did not know the woman well and never had met her husband) sitting alone with her husband. I asked if we could join them and we did. They were very nice people and we really enjoyed talking with them. We asked if they would like to join us for dinner and they did. We had a great time.
A week later I received a card from this woman thanking my husband and me for reaching out to them. She said that she really did not know anyone at the conference and her husband really felt out of place. She went on to tell me that our act of kindness and willingness to get to know strangers made their visit wonderful. She also said that it inspired them to be willing to ask people they do not know to do things with them. Even though we showed them a small act of kindness, her act of kindness by sending me a note to let me know how it changed their outlook, was one I will never forget. We never know how the simple, small things we do for othesr will affect them. She did not have to say anything, but took the time to do so.
It was great reliving the memory and I would have just kept it tucked away if I had not asked myself that thought provoking question. Set aside a few minutes of your busy day for a thought provoking question and see where it takes you.
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