Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Appreciate the Good People You Meet in Life

I have met a lot of people in my life and have worked a lot of different jobs here and there. It seems as if there is no shortage of people who make others miserable. Especially on the job. I don't care where you work or what kind of job you do, there always seems to be that one difficult person that everyone tries to avoid.

Even in public places we come across rude people who seem to act as if their parents never taught them basic manners. Never mind when there is one of those Christmas sales where there are limited quantities of certain items. Then it's a no-holds-barred brawl for the merchandise.

I had one job that I worked that had more than its share of difficult people. Of course, referring to them simply as difficult people is probably being much kinder than they are deserving of. That's why, when you do meet good people, it is a good idea to make a practice of appreciating them.

After having worked a number of jobs throughout the years where I had to deal with some very difficult people, I had the good fortune of getting a job where basically everyone on the job was nice. People got a long with each other, there was no backstabbing and people did their jobs and mided their own business. Talk about a major contrast between the two scenarios.

Another thing is that there were times when I had difficult neighbors to deal with. Neighbors with no regard or consideration for anyone else living in the neighborhood. So when they leave and you get a nice neighbor replacing them, it is amazing how much nicer the neighborhood will be. There is an old Oscar Wilde quote I like and have referred to a number of times that kind of suits this topic and it goes like this: Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.” that's kind of how it was when those nasty neighbors moved out of the neighborhood.

Even in family situations, things can be hard. I will admit that in the past there have been times when things were difficult in my family situation. But now everything is great with everyone in the family. We all get along so well and we all live in a close proximity to each other. We often see each other, not just on holidays but quite often throughout the year.

When I say to appreciate the good people you meet, I don't just mean to show it by doing nice things for them, which is a good idea, but to also be thankful for them. I say that because sometimes situations in our lives may change so fast that we may lose those good things we have in our lives in the blink of an eye.

Sometimes it is hard for me to believe how well things are going in my life as far as the people I deal with on a daily basis goes. For this I am very grateful. I know from my previous experiences that situations can change drastically, at the drop of a hat.

Also, I think it is important to be grateful for the good things in our life for another reason. That reason is to help keep things in perspective. Everyone gets down from time to time and may even have moments of depression. When we remember to be thankful for and have appreciation for the good things in our lives, it can have a positive effect on our attitudes and our happiness. It may even prompt us to want to do something nice for others who may not have things so well. Maybe even for some of those nice people in our lives who may be going through a rough spell.

As far as showing appreciation to the people themselves goes, it's a good idea to do that from time to time. One of the biggest complaints people have about their jobs is that their bosses or supervisors, or even co-workers for that matter, don't show appreciation for their work. This is also a common complaint people have about their marriages. They often feel as if their spouse does not show enough appreciation for the things they do. This may even be a problem with some friendships.


So if you have some good people in your life, count them among your various blessings. Maybe show them or tell them from time to time that you appreciate them. Nasty people are a dime-a-dozen. Truly good people are a bit less common. So make a point to appreciate them for what they are.

Photo Credit: image created by Bob Craypoe, also known as R. L. Crepeau

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