Tuesday afternoon, I found myself going to the local Wells Fargo to withdraw enough money to pay my rent the next day, but, the second I walked through those doors, I was hit with this sight, a veritable maze of waiting customers. Even in this quick snapshot, you can just feel the level of exasperation of the crowd. So, I went to Jamba Juice to grab myself something to sustain me on the treacherous journey through the line on which I was about to embark. When I came back, ten minutes later, it felt as if not a soul had moved. It was almost as if they were awaiting my return to begin. Since I had no pending destination of importance, no true place to be, I was not irritated. I was going to get to sit around, enjoying a smoothie, and pass some time enjoying some discreet people-watching. So, after rapid-firing out a few brief text messages, I settled in, and, much like most other times I find myself just occupying a space, my mind began to wander. After spending a few brief moments hypothesizing as to the reasons behind their visits, I started thinking about what thoughts might be running through these fine people's heads. Other than the kind gentleman with the green hat and myself, I settled on what I believed to be the mindset of this little hive mind. Basically, each one of them seemed to be thinking, "I don't want to be here."
I try to avoid ever allowing myself to accept such a mentality, however, as it has never seemed to yield me any positive result. That type of negative thinking sends countless people on a downward spiral of frustration, and it seems to happen every day. Ever since I started trying to go about life in a more positive manner, trying to enjoy the upside of every situation or event, the level of satisfaction my life brings has only seemed to grow. It feels like, no matter which side ends up on top, almost every coin-flip of a situation seems to go my way. These people seemed irritated and probably left more annoyed and negative than they arrived, and that just doesn't seem enjoyable. Every person who entered seemed to adopt the mob mentality of dissatisfaction, and that just seems to spread like a plague. Every person with whom individuals of such a mentality interact almost inevitably develop it. They react to the negativity sent their way with negativity towards others, and the spread is exponential.
As I prefer not to study myself as much as others due to possible bias and subjectivity, I found it best to study the gentleman with the green hat (in a discreet and non-intrusive manner), and what I witnessed was definitely rewarding. It almost felt as if his positivity and kind demeanor was acting as its own little wildfire. Every individual with whom he interacted seemed to shift their smile a degree or two towards a smile. His jokes and positive attitude were sending little shock waves of joy into everyone's heart. His chuckle seemed to light up the teller, even though she was looking down what must have seemed like a gauntlet of irritable customers. Watching him even made me a touch happier, and that's saying something since I was already in a positive mood. He was his own little storm of goodwill, and he should be an inspiration.
I know the word "argue" might seem a little negative with regards to my message, I would like to argue that accepting a more positive and peaceful demeanor might yield strong and enjoyable results. As I seem to, very often feel its positive effects, I would strongly suggest that more people start adopting it. In this simple case, it allowed me to find some fun, even a touch of a role model, in a situation where most people would only remember having to wait in line for over half an hour. Though I'd stress the importance of positivity in all situations, this is just one of those instances that reminds me of how patience is a virtue.
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