Finding Hope and Kindness This Memorial Day - Radio Ink
(By Pat Bryson) A couple of weeks ago, I was having breakfast at a local diner in Tulsa. I was eating by myself, listening to Kim Komando on the stream. The server brought my check, and I got out the money to pay. When he came back to collect it, he told me that someone had bought my breakfast.
Now, I knew this wasn’t the same as “that guy bought you a drink.” I’m far too “mature” for that and besides, I was having iced tea.
It turned out that a young couple across the dining room had picked up my check. I thanked them. It made my day! As I drove home, I reflected on how their simple act of unexpected kindness had brightened my day. It got me thinking. This weekend is Memorial Day. Especially in the US, we have reached the mid-point of a year that has already been full of senseless violence, inflation, demonstrations, and general unease.
This coming weekend, we remember those who have served our country, some having given their lives in defense of the US. They all have contributed to sustaining our country.
That the United States has survived wars both internal and external, recessions, civil unrest, and pandemics seems miraculous. Many of the challenges we face today are not new. We have faced them in some iterations before. Sometimes, the total mess of things, many of which are beyond the control of the average American, leads to despondency. We must not let it!
On that morning when total strangers reached across the dining room to me and shared a bit of sunshine, I was reminded that kindness and goodness still exist. It’s up to us to share these with others: not only with those we know, but also with those we don’t know. One by one, we can heal the wounds left by circumstances. We are stronger together than divided.
My flags are out for this weekend. I ring my swimming pool with them. I hang banners from my front porch. I invite friends to sit around my pool and share food and beverages. And we remember those who are no longer with us, those who have served.
I wish all of you a very wonderful holiday weekend. Despite all the challenges, I believe I live in the greatest nation on earth, and I am blessed to call myself an American. (Not that I don’t enjoy ALL the countries I have been privileged to visit…. every country has some wonderful things.) All I know is that the American dream is still available to those who will search for it. I’m an example of that myself.
Enjoy the holiday. The best is yet to come!
Pat Bryson is the CEO of Bryson Broadcasting International, a consulting firm that works with sales managers and salespeople to raise revenue. She is the author of two books, A Road Map to Success in High-Dollar Broadcast Sales and Successful Broadcast Sales: Thriving in Change available on her website. Read Pat’s Radio Ink archives here.
