Politeness Goes a Long Way

One small word put a huge smile on my face: ma'am.

I have a [soon-to-be-over] part-time office job that receives heavy volumes of phone calls practically every day. We get all kinds of phone calls ranging from complaints to weird questions, and some people are nice while others are straight up pissed off. In a string of bland phone calls that required me to answer the same question a gazillion times, I got one man on the other end who said, "Thank you, ma'am," when the conversation ended. Immediately, I thought of older people who demand being called sir or ma'am out of respect, and now I see why. It really does make you feel important and respected. I could go on about people demanding respect rather than working to earn it, so I'll save that aspect of this for another day, maybe.

A smile crossed my face basically subconsciously. I could tell by the voice that this man was older than me, yet he didn't treat me like a child, and believe me, not only do I still look 15, but I sound it too, especially over the phone. That one word made my entire day for some reason. Maybe it's because I don't often hear people address each other with such kindness. I feel like it is so rare these days that it's almost antiquated, and honestly...when I hear sir or ma'am, an image instantly crosses my mind: a black and white sitcom from the early ages of television, when kids were too scared not to finish a sentence without either one of those words when speaking to an adult. I know I don't use it, but I also wasn't raised to, not to say my parents didn't teach me to be polite because they did. However, I feel like times are evolving to the point where it's not common to hear those words anymore.

And I kinda like it like that...I like that time is evolving and that there are still little things in life that could brighten someone's day because it isn't always experienced. Because if I did hear it often, it probably wouldn't have affected me like it did. I would've taken it for granted, and maybe would've even felt offended if he hadn't said it.

It's the rare things in life that you treasure the most, no matter how big or small it is, no matter if it was done to purposely put a smile on your face or not.

This has inspired me to start another blog. Every day, or as often as I can, I will write about one little thing that affected me in a positive way. I think you'd be surprised what small things make me smile, or make me think, and generally just make me happy. I'll keep you posted, if you'd be interested.

mindXposed Quote of the Week

"How long a minute is, depends on which side of the bathroom door you're on. " - Zall's Second Law

It's been a while since I've posted, so I thought it was fitting to search a quote about time. I am at this point in my life where everything is starting to fall into place, and in some people's eyes, it all may be too good to be true. But it is. And I couldn't be happier or feel more blessed!

Time's really funny, and it is relative in a sense that, depending on what you are waiting for or what you are doing, real-time 60 minutes could feel like two hours. A day could feel like weeks when you're waiting for something or someone to come. Weeks feel like months, months like years, you get it.

On the flip side, time storms by so quickly that one day you pause, stare at your calendar and think, "Damn, August 14 already? June felt like yesterday!"

Time is very valuable, and depending on how you live your life, it can feel fast or slow. In reality, time moves at a rigid and set pace. We cannot stretch a minute to be longer than it is. It is what it is. Sixty seconds. We may feel it goes by slowly in the doctor's waiting room or during the last 15 minutes of work...but it's not. It's sixty seconds. One minute. That's it. 2+2=4 no matter how long you stare at it. 60 seconds = 1 minute no matter how fast or slow it seemed to have gone.

Time is precious, and I'm learning to have a sense of urgency in my life because it is going by very quickly. I will never forget what my dentist told me when I was entering ninth grade. He had said that high school will fly by, but after that, time goes even faster. I was hoping he'd be wrong because this is my youth and my younger years. I don't want to wake up one day at 40 years old, wondering how I got there so fast.

How do you "slow down" time? How could you let it linger a little longer so that you can do everything you need and want to do?

I've heard "life is short" countless times, and it is now just sinking in that it's more than just a saying...it's the truth. I don't want to put anything off for another day. Because once you push something back, you keep pushing it and pushing it back to the point where it may not even be that important to you anymore. I say this a lot, but I don't want to miss out. I don't want to look back and think, "Why couldn't I be like Nike and just do it?"

Super Powers

If I had x-ray vision, I'd be able to see right through guys' pockets and their wallets. That way I could tell my girls who to talk to when they'd be in the club seeking out who'd have no problem spending on them for the night.

If I could read minds I'd be sleeping better at night. And a better night's sleep would lead to a more relaxing day, and a more relaxing day would prevent wrinkles, and I don't need to ever be looking old, even when I am old. I don't want my face to ever show my true age. Also, I'd creep people out and say exactly what they're thinking. All of a sudden a lot of people would start thinking I have so much in common with them it's unbelievable.

If I could be invisible, I'd be the biggest stalker and thief that no one's ever heard of. I'd be on shows like "Cheaters" and help police with stuff like drug busts. Then I'd be going through people's houses and stealing things right out from under them. Ever feel like someone's watching you? Don't you hate when you put something in a specific spot, and next thing you know, it's not there and you can't find it anywhere else? My money's on the invisible stalking thief playing mind games, making you feel all creeped out and moving objects, watching and laughing as you search all over the place, swearing up and down you put that thing in that spot.

If I had the speed of lightning, cops wouldn't be able to catch me. Not that I do much that'd get me in trouble with them to begin with. But maybe if I did have that type of speed I'd do some damage just because I know I'd get away with it. Actually, I'd use the speed for good and maybe help cops out when they're on high speed chases, or when they have to be somewhere fast in an emergency. That way, I'd be on their good side and when I do illegal activity (not that I do) they'd let me slide because of all my good deeds on their behalf.