SMILE, it can't be that bad :)

I was filling in for my secretary at work today when a customer called on the phone and the first thing she said was, "Do you know what happens to people that do things out of spite, they go to hell...." Before I could even say a word she says that my secretary called her about an open invoice and she must be just calling her to be evil because why else would she call within 2 weeks of receiving the bill.  This lady went on and on about how vindictive, spiteful and evil it was for our company to call her about her open invoice and there must be a hidden agenda in doing this.  Since I did not even know what she was talking about I immediately thought, wow this lady is very unhappy but there is no way that we made her that unhappy, she must just be a unhappy person.  I tried to help calm her down but there was nothing that was going to do that so I just said that I hope she had a better day and hung up.  Then my son decided he wanted to raise money for the American Cancer Society, Relay for Life this weekend.  He will be walking with his Martial Arts school so he got on his bike to make his way around the neighbors.  I have to say our family has never asked any of our neighbors for anything fundraising before but I let him do this because it meant something to him.  I know everyone has that one neighbor that doesn't say Hi and seems grumpy all the time, well we have quite a few of those in our neighbor hood.  I will say though my son is 11 and to shut the door in his face makes you wonder why that person is so unhappy?   I have always lived my life treating others the way that I wanted to be treated.  I also have whole heartily agreed that no one should live life miserable if it is something they have the ability to change.  I can say one of the biggest things I have noticed since my diagnosis is how many people just aren't happy people.  I mean there are some really unhappy people out there.  How hard is it to say Hi to someone, or thank-you?  Why are so many people on the defense all the time when it comes to just life in general or so judgmental of others?  Where are all the smiles at!?!!  I completely understand that some people have had a lot of bad things happen to them in life but so have I and many others.  In my life I have lived through poverty, substance abuse, major dysfunction, and loss.  Now with my Cancer diagnosis I could be one bitter person if I allowed myself to be.  I could walk around with all that hate in my heart from everything that I have been through, but I don't want to live that way.  When I see someone that I think needs to smile I go out of my way to try to make them do just that.  I feel sorry for those that have let themselves be so unhappy all the time.  I think to myself what if they have cancer and that is why they are so mad?  Maybe it is just the way they handle things. I know some people do have a hard time separating drama from their lives and that alone will bring people down.  I wish that there was some way to make some of these people understand that life is what we make of it.  We can get dealt some pretty heavy blows and believe me they do knock us off our feet but why stay down... Get up and enjoy this life that we have. I remember when I was younger I thought that 40 was so far away but now 60 seems to be right around the corner and time moves so fast at this point of my life.  I am and will keep working on not sweating the small stuff.  I have a GI doctor that just told me yesterday that he loves to see me so positive going through what I have been through and I simply said, "What choice do I have but to keep smiling."  Maybe if I keep going out of my way to show kindness to others they will do the same and so on, and so on.  I was as guilty as the next person thinking that I had all the time in the world but now I am wide awake to knowing that every second counts and I am just going to keep smiling, even if some do not smile back :)