So, I work at a mall. There is always something interesting to be seen at a mall. There are people picking their noses, people dragging their bratty children in and out of stores, people attempting to shoplift, you know, normal Americans. What I usually find very entertaining is becoming increasingly more pathetic. I’ve found that my people watching has is beginning to take on a very cynical tone. I watch the people in my immediate area gel into a mass group of mediocrity. There are the mall walkers—who in their geriatric state look as though they are on death’s door. Then there are the hood rats, that walk around the mall in their sweats and doobie wraps. These girls are always on a mission to get gigged up for some party where they can snag some random guy who drives a sooped up Honda. Then there are the stroller moms, some of whom literally roll out of bed and to the mall in their pajamas to spend all of their husband’s hard earned money. This ever evolving tapestry of people converges at a shopping center, WHERE THEY BUY NOTHING! I watched a woman today standing all hunched over and concave outside of my store for a full five minutes—unmoving. As she stood there, I became aggravated and frustrated. I couldn’t figure out why this freak of nature was loitering in my space. Then it occurred to me that she could be having a crisis of the heart, as I stood in judgment criticizing her. I found that I was taking out my frustrations with the lack of store traffic out on someone who had nothing to do with my life. In this very difficult time, we all seem to be on a mission to demonize and criticize people who have done us no wrong. It’s a way to deal with the unrest that we feel within ourselves. We do it to waiters in restaurants, to the customer service reps at banks that abuse our pockets, to the President, and even to our family and friends. These people aren’t to blame for our issues but we are always looking for someone to blame. But is that what we really want to do to our fellow man?

Today’s Task: Strive to be kinder to your fellow man. Try to remember that there is no one to blame when life get’s difficult and to take it out on someone else is just a cop out and a shame. A little smile and a little kindness go a long way. Think before you speak and speak from the heart. It could make this time of trial a little easier for us all.