The lint in your pocket is more important than you think. We all have it. We know it's there. We can see it when we look for it. We can even feel it tucked tight in the corner if we try really hard. We dig deep to get that quarter out for the parking meter. We get annoyed because a piece of pocket lint is adhered to it like glue. We brush the lint off because the quarter serves a much more important purpose- preventing a parking ticket. So why is it there and why should you care?
Pocket lint is remnants of things that, at one time, were important to you. The lint may be bits and pieces of paper that you wrote a pretty girls' phone number on. The lint may be fibers from a tissue you wiped your nose with so you weren't forced to use your shirt sleeve. It could even be snippets of a ten dollar bill you found in your jeans pocket after washing them. A ten dollar bill that bought you that drink at happy hour which allowed you to get the pretty girls number that wrote down on that piece of paper.
So you see, pocket lint is very important. It provides a brief insight into your life. You may think this is ridiculous, but I bet if you went to the hamper and pulled out a pair of your jeans, you might be surprised what you may find and you will realize even those things you think are invisible and unimportant play a significant part in your life.
This carries over in to many aspects in our lives. Think of all the people and things you overlook and pass by each day without a second glance or passing thought. So much is taken for granted. We are busy. We are pre-occupied. We are engrossed in our phones, iPods, computers, GPS, and tablets. We forget the things that make our lives REALLY work. The lint in our pocket, made up of important pieces of our lives but is quickly forgotten.
Do you know you building custodian's name, the parking garage attendants, the letter carrier, the school bus driver, crossing guard at school, gym desk clerk, locker room attendant, or snow plow driver? In some form or fashion, they have a job just like you. They work to provide a service for you - services that make your life easier and allow it to run smoother. Yet, somehow we have a tendency to overlook these individuals because we feel they are here to make out lives easier and we expect it.
I am as guilty as the next person. I know some of the individuals above but others, I have no clue. I, too, get caught up in 'stuff'. But sometimes when I stop and think, I try to imagine my life without these people.
Who would empty my office trash so it doesn't stink when I dump the rest of my lunch. OK, well, I rarely have anything to dump- after all chicken and broccoli is very tasty! How would I get out of my driveway and get to work to earn a living if no one plowed the snow? Who is going to deliver my snail mail and bulk mail (this pays my salary so please accept with a smile). Who would make sure the locker room doesn't smell like a big stinky shoe? So you see, we pass over very important people every day without realizing how much they are adding to our life.
Now I know we can't stop and meet and greet every Tom, Dick and Harry in our every day life. We'd never get anywhere or accomplish anything. However, a smile, a nod of the head, an eyebrow lift or simple "thank you" goes a long way. It's a gesture to let them know you are aware of their existence and the role they play in your life. You never know when you may need them when you least expect it. Some like to call it karma - good or bad. I'd like to think it's just good ole' human kindness. We all serve a purpose albeit a wide variety. We are unique, we are human. We make mistakes and have bad days. But remember, sometimes a smile goes a long way.
So think about your pocket lint and what it has done for you. It's Sunday - the start of a new week. And I hate Mondays, but...try to take notice of one person or thing each day this week that you would normally store as pocket lint. See what it does for you and more importantly what it does for them.
Rachel
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