Goodly Creatures

"O wonder!

How many goodly creatures are there here!

How beauteous mankind is!

O brave new world that

has such people in it!" - William Shakespeare, The Tempest, 5.1

I came across this quote on a Street Scape poster and thought I would post it. It strikes at the heart of my comment from last week.

Last week I was the recipient of a good deed from a fellow bus rider. I said thanks to the stranger and to the Moms and the children of the world for being so wonderful. I really meant those sentiments and so this quote from William Shakespeare’s Tempest chronicle that reality. There are many goodly creatures out there but we don't always encounter them or behave that way ourselves. I am very happy to have experienced the wonder here there!

I know that each day has its own challenges and situations but some how, some where and sometimes we encounter the beauty and kindness of people. I hope all of the people we encounter this week are goodly creatures!

Reckoning

The world is a wonderful place, and the people, well, they are the bonus. I am breaking my blog entry routine to make this post because I had a feel good moment.

Remember a couple of weeks ago I wrote that while I was running errands I was given a seat on a bus? Well, it happened again today. Oh yeah! And this time I felt honored. No second guessing the motive. I felt honored for the respect and honored to be a mother.

This day I was on my A game. I was dressed in business clothes, hair nicely coiffed, make-up etc. I was calm, poised, not harried or laden down with shopping bags going about my business. I hopped on the bus to save time. As I made my way to the back of the bus, a gentleman got up and offered me his seat. I don’t want to attribute his generosity to my appearance or the friendly look I had on my face. The bus had a group of good looking folks. I think it was all him; his belief that we should be treated courteously. It was refreshing. He got a loud and melodious Thank You, Sir! from me.

I thought to myself, hmmm! There are many good and decent and respectable folks out there. Never mind the assumption that some things skipped a generation, hence the generation gap in values and sensibilities from my generation. I guess that some things did not escape the group. Members of this group, a younger generation, that I have encountered, are ‘out there’ doing good deeds.

Thanks Moms, for teaching common values and respect. Thanks Son for living the lessons learned. Thanks society, the village, for the acknowledgement and reinforcement of good deeds. All is not lost; let’s keep it going.

Thank you, you've made my day. Thanks everybody!