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Monday, February 7, 2011

MONDAY MILITIA!!


Thank you for all of your positive comments and feedback for the Monday Miltia. It really helped reinforce my feelings that I need to do this thing.

I really started this as an exercise for myself and thought it would fun personally to document my progress, even if just for myself. I am really shy by nature. I'm extremely uncomfortable in groups of people I don't know and I think nice thoughts all the time that I think maybe I should share because it seems like they might have the power to change the world in a better way...and what happens if I just DO THAT?


Soooo....how did you do with your mission? Did you complete it? Did you fail and forget?

No matter, try again!

Here's my story for the mission this week:

It took me until...Thursday?....to find the right opportunity to fulfill my mission....

I went out to do some errands and needed gas. I took our second car, which is rarely driven and has been on empty the last 3 times I've driven it.

So I pulled into the first gas station, which happens to be outside a members-only gas station (like Costco, Sam's)of which, I am not a member but I'm thinking "hey, I'll just have to pay the non-member price, right?"

and there's a line.

and I hear my car idling. wasting gas.

nope. no go-go juice.

A large sign says MEMBERS ONLY and you have to insert your member card to pump.

DAMN. and I'm really getting worried that I might run out of gas!

So, off I go to the next station. I pulled into the Sunoco and inserted my card. And I got the "see attendant" bleeep.

CRAP! now I'm really concerned because I have no cash and I just spent several precious vapors of gas idling in the BJ's parking lot.

...and I'm getting mad and anxious and very nervous. and I go inside, and there was the most lovely lady. She was super tall and graceful. She looked to be of some African-Caribbean descent. She was wearing cute cowry shell earrings and I mumbled grumpily that my card wouldn't work, could she try it in here?

"Of course, baby." was her reply.

And then, after I swiped my card, she started humming and singing to herself in a sort of reggae fashion, "AUTH-oooorrrr-RIZING!!!" because my card was authorizing.

Then she handed me my receipt and gave me the biggest, most gorgeous smile! You know the smile! Gorgeous white teeth and just HUGE!

and then...I seized my opportunity!

I half-whispered (because I am shy) YOU HAVE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SMILE.

and her smile got even bigger!

and she said:

"You are so nice, baby! You have a beautiful day, lovely! in her thick accent...

And then, I did! I went down the road, singing to my Pandora Ingrid Michaelson channel and pulled into the store parking lot and the woman next to me unloading her cart saw me and SMILED. And said,

"It looks like you're having a great day!"

and I said,

"I am! I hope you have a GREAT DAY too!"

and then she smiled.

Then I was still smiling as I walked into the store and several more people started smiling when I smiled at them!

WOW! my whole paradigm has just shifted....IT IS JUST. THAT. EASY.

I would love to hear your experiences from your mission this week!

NEXT MISSION: Take one negative thought you have this week and make it positive.

It can be as simple as "SCREW this LAUNDRY!" and then you do the laundry and put it away.

OR it can be negative words that you think and try to repurpose your thinking. For instance, Why does so&so do this???? Surely they do it to P*ss me OFF!

Maybe think of WHY they are doing what they are doing and see it from a different point of view!

OR, perhaps you say something unkind and you need to make the situation right. Perhaps an apology is in order, or a phone call, or a small token of friendship.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow it does make a difference when you smile doesn't it! I actually do this for strangers even if I am having a bad day because theirs could be worse you never know. I don't get out much but when I saw a woman at the grocery store I did get the opportunity to compliment her eyes. They we a striking green. This was fun and I do look forward to this challenge.
Happy Monday

mairedodd said...

your experience was wonderfully told - i have been in that gut wrenching, sweat collecting on the brow situation of being seriously-almost-out-of-gas... i am so very glad that your anxiety and stress was met by a woman of beauty and grace... what you did for each other, and then more people is so wonderful...
i told 2 people - but it is sad, i think that so many of us are uncomfortable receiving compliments... it was brushed aside almost uncomfortably... so i am going to try this one again and add on this week's focus...

Unknown said...

Y.E.S. Yes! This is lovely and I am so happy to read it.

Malin de Koning said...

Great post. Wonderful story. I must go back and read the previous posts on the subject. And then I'll get back to you with my own task. See you soon.

Malin de Koning said...

Oh my Barbara, this is good! The Monday Militia. I'm joining your club. Starting today.

"NEXT MISSION: Take one negative thought you have this week and make it positive."

I just have to say: this is basically what I am spending a lot of time on already. If I didn't my life would be so utterly miserable. I have MS and it is constantly effecting me in a bad way. Bad thoughts pop up all the time. I HAVE to turn them around or ignore them or think past them and so on, otherwise i would be their slave, know what I mean. But I am shure there ARE still some of them I don't manage to turn around. So I'm gonna go for a hunt for one of THOSE ones. I think the first thing, step one, I will do is to say: 

I'll do it today Friday instead, coz now it's fresh in my head. And I will remember it. I have a lousy memory due to MS, I mean REALLY lousy, think Alzheimer, so step one is to make it possible for me anyway to do this. 

Oh I love this kind of challenges. It is gonna be difficult, and tough, and perhaps I'll get stressed and upset along the way. Just like you did on the way to your mission last monday. And that is the whole point with this isn't it. To overcome our worries and fears and make a change, and that will lead to a better world. 

I must blog about this later on! It is awesome Barbara! Awesome!

Malin

mairedodd said...

i have my story for this week - the universe challenged me nicely just about right after i had read the post - very very convenient!

ewabeads said...

lovely story...