Brightening someone’s day doesn’t have to be labor-intensive or require a ton of effort. It can…but it doesn’t have to. What can you do in five minutes to lift someone else’s spirits? Here are just a few things I’ve done in the last couple of days.
Text a friend who’s been down lately, asking how she is and how her day was. (Sure, a phone call might have been better, but she doesn’t really like talking on the phone. Same.)
Checked on a friend who had surgery last week, and who’s been struggling. (Patience is not a virtue for everyone, and sometimes a distraction is valuable.)
A short conversation with a friend who’d had a people-of-Walmart experience—so we could laugh together. (And agree that that particular Walmart was a no-go.)
A quick phone call to check on a patient who sometimes gets discouraged and withdrawn. (When people have no one in their lives, a five-minute phone call is a big deal.)
Teasing and joking with a patient with a bit of dementia, who’d been angry and upset just a few minutes before. She really enjoyed telling me I take my sweet time with her, and could I please hurry up? (That had the added bonus of making the staff member she’d been angry with also laugh. I try.)
Take five minutes and lift someone’s spirits. Or thirty seconds. You won’t be sorry. You never know what they might be dealing with.
A Little Bit Greener 