Expressing Gratitude Through Kindness (And Being Like a Potato)

Daily writing promptHow do you express your gratitude?View all responses

I express my gratitude for being alive by trying to be kind to everyone I meet. I have discovered that heartfelt politeness is powerful.

If you will without suspicion begin to be welcoming to strangers by showing them warmheartedness, courtesy, and a sincere smile, you will almost always receive a friendly response from them. You will touch the part of them that’s hungry for heart-to-heart human connection.

The next time you see a stranger make it your mission to express simple heart-felt kindness and observe the response you get. The stranger will feel better and will light up with warm facial expressions (and you will too). I experience that kind of response almost every time I express goodwill to a stranger. (There are exceptions where my kind approach is ignored or rebuffed but they are rare.)

I learned this by selling books door-to-door for three summers when I was in college. The first week of each summer I was given a week of training in positive thinking and sincere friendliness. Then I was sent to a strange city to knock on doors. I was amazed to see that my warm cheerfulness would usually (but not always) soften the heart of the person who answered the door, and we would have an uplifting encounter even if they didn’t by my books (or even take the time to look at them). I would leave them with an encouraging word and with gratitude for their time and then head to the next house.

Training your heart to be hospitable is lifechanging for you and for the people you encounter. Every person matters. If you will treat people like they do, they will usually respond positively to you. Don’t just take my word for it. Try it today and see for yourself.

Be like a potato. Keep sprouting and growing your eyes no matter where life puts you. Always be on the lookout for creative ways to turn your problems into potato salad, French fries, hash browns, potato soup, chips, home fries, loaded potato skins, tater tots, and scalloped potatoes. When life bakes or roasts you, don’t be bitter, be better (like a baked or roasted potato). When life crushes you let it make you as delightful as delicious mashed potatoes.

When tears come
Try not to be
Quick to clean them up
And wipe them away.
The drops that ooze
From your eyes
And leave tracks
On your cheeks
Are a sign
That shows that
Your heart is alive.