Have the guts to be nice

I was cruising down 5th avenue in Hillcrest late one quiet evening. As I was passing the bar called Nu-Nu's I noticed a young good looking couple standing on the corner looking as if they were having a heated argument. I passed on by but I was trying to follow my intuition, my hunches lately, and I got a vibe that told me to go back around the corner and drive slowly by the couple. I did so and as I was rounding the corner next to the couple, staring at them, waiting for whatever I was supposed to be waiting for, there was a guy crossing the street in front of me, so I stopped. He looked somewhat raggedy and was wearing an old blanket around his shoulders. He waived at me, so I stopped. He approached and asked for a ride. I said, get on in. My gut insincts have generally served me very well. I don't discriminate by the looks of people because I've had very good fares from people I'm sure some wouldn't ever pick up.

He got in and wanted to go just a few blocks. He started telling me about his crappy day. Earlier this evening he had found out his live-in girlfriend had been cheating on him for awhile with another man. He had just left her house and was going to try to find a friend to stay with. He was going on about how bad he felt and how shitty everything was and how they had been together for a long time. I said, "hey, well maybe this happening is a new door opening for you and an opportunity for you to find a good girl, the one you're really supposed to be with."
He said, "Oh, brother! Thank you so much for saying that! I've been hoping all day someone was going to say something cool to me. Back in my neighborhood where I live no one ever says anything cool like that. Thanks a lot."

His response surprised me and made me think that he was just the one I was supposed to pick up to pass on some good vibes. It made me remember what an impact our words have on each other and how we can influence our world by just one positive sentence or word. It's easy to get caught up in the little discouragements and frustrations of our days. I thought I don't have it so bad right now, really. Try to say a nice word to someone today. Even just telling someone they are doing a good job will really perk them up. I tried this with a fast food clerk and a bank teller and was surprised at how much they lit up. It makes you feel good too.