Be Like Bill
There is so much goodness out there if you look for it.
Recently, my little brother lost his wallet.
He wasn’t sure where. He wasn’t sure when. He just knew that in the hustle and bustle of work and life and juggling the everyday responsiblities that he does, he lost his wallet.
Today, a man named Bill contacted my mom on Facebook to tell her that he had found my brother’s wallet.
The address on my brother’s wallet was still my parents’ house, so Bill offered to drive to my parents’ house to return his wallet, which was not anywhere convenient for him.
But he did it, anyway.
When my mother offered to give him money in appreciation for returning the wallet, he wouldn’t take it. He said that it was unnecessary, and that returning the wallet didn’t warrant an award — it was just the right thing to do.
It’s easy to get depressed about the news. It’s easy to get jaded about the evil that exists within this world. It’s easy to think that people are selfish and that everyone is mean and that goodness is a thing of childhood fairytales and Disney movies.
It’s easy to fall down that rabbit hole.
But the world is not all bad, and people are not always evil.
There is so much goodness out there if you look for it.
When the world seems terrible and awful, look for the ones who are using their time and energy to pour love back into the spaces of despair. They are there, amidst the chaos and craze of everyday life. They aren’t only characters in fairytales or Disney movies. They’re living, breathing, real humans, trying to make this world better.
Like the teachers who go the extra mile for the students who need it.
Like the doctor who sits a little bit longer with their patient so that they can understand the science behind their diagnosis.
Like the friend who brings you a cup of tea while you’re at work because they know that you’re having a bad day, and you could use it.
Like the spouse or partner that listens to what happened during your workday, and lets you vent about whatever you need to.
Like strangers who open doors, and say thank you, and donate the money that they would’ve spent on their latte to a cause that needs support instead.
Like the way the ones you admire share their moments of heartbreak — whatever the cause of that it, so that just one other person out there experiencing something smilier knows that they are not alone.
There are good people out there who are doing good things — and often, there isn’t some angle. There isn’t an ulterior motive — they don’t do it for fame or fortune. They don’t do it for the praise or the applause.
They, like Bill, do it because it’s the right thing to do.
The best part is that you can join them, too.
