High on Happiness

Posts Tagged ‘Improvement’

As I headed home from work yesterday, suddenly the scene before me took on a kind of Norman Rockwell feel.  I had the sense that I was viewing a classic moment, with an almost nostalgic universality to it.

Here, on this fine spring afternoon, someone was carting home a truckload of bright azaleas.

Was it a spontaneous purchase?  A gift?  A decision made over dinner?  I would have loved to know the story.  But I could make up my own.  The sight itself was enough to smooth my face into a warm smile.

A little spot of joy was going home to brighten someone’s spirits and yard.

“Joy spots!”  Oh, my! I hadn’t thought about those in years!  And now this truckload of flowers brought the memory back.

I got the idea from an article I read in a magazine that suggested you leave every room you enter better than you found it in some way.   Pick up a piece of lint from the floor, wipe the dust from a surface, straighten a painting on the wall.  On a whim, I decided to try it for awhile, to see if I could create what I came to call “joy spots.”

I was working as a waitress at the time and the idea carried over into my work life.  I decided I would do whatever I could to make my customers’ visits one of the joy spots in their days.  I made sure each table was clean and well-set before I seated them.  I paid attention to each customer’s style and treated them with respect.  Did they want conversation, or unobtrusive, attentive service?  I did my best to deliver.  I made sure their food reached their tables as soon as it was prepared, and that their bills were ready when they were ready to leave.  It was a challenge in the busy restaurant where I worked, but it made the job more meaningful and fun.  And I routinely hauled in great tips and genuine thanks from people, too.

I dropped the phrase “joy spots” a hundred years ago.  But I still do what I can to leave a room better than I found it.  I try to bring a touch of light to those I encounter, to sooth or comfort, to encourage or support.  But after yesterday, I have a new name for the practice.  As my evenings come to a close and I do my little daily review, I think I’ll ask myself, “Did you bring home some azaleas?”