Other People Matter

You get the best out of others when you give the best of yourself.

-Harvey S. Firestone

Last month my niece Laura, died.  

There was no funeral or service per her final wishes.  

Many people miss her. 

On Friday I attended a celebration of life for Roxanne, her battle with cancer is over. 

Roxanne was a wife, mother, sister, aunt and friend to many.  

As we listened to stories of her life and love I pondered the meaning of life.

Life is short.

Life is sweet.

Life is good.

Life sometimes sucks.

Life doesn't wait for us to decide what kind of life we want.

We have all heard the advice of don't sweat the small stuff, because it's all small stuff and really doesn't matter.  You even get to figure out  what the small stuff is. The small stuff can drag us down and take away the moments in life we could be savoring.  Our relationships with others are a big part of our lives.  We often take for granted that the people in our lives will be there always.  They won't. 

Other people matter.

The science of happiness has many studies that indicate social connections are highly valuable when it comes to increasing our happiness.  George Vaillant, director of a 72 year study of the lives of 268 men says, "The only thing that really matters in life are your relationships to other people."  Research statistics from study after study proves this theory.

Other people matter.

When you hold the door open for someone, it matters.

When you look up and meet eyes on the bus and smile, it matters.

When you text someone an I'm thinking of you text, it matters.

When you choose to hold a grudge, be mad at a co-worker or gossip about a neighbor, it matters...but in the opposite way.  

Sitting at a funeral brings a different perspective to both life and death.  

Life goes by in the blink of an eye.  

Appreciate the moments.  

Those moments become your life.

Death can come in the blink of an eye.

Appreciate the life you have.

Or make it better.

Every day we decide who we will be and the kind of life we will lead, 

by the decisions we make every moment of every day. 

We can make a difference every day in so many ways.  

We can smooth the path of another with a smile or kind word. 

Other people matter.

What we do for ourselves dies with us.  

What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.

-Albert Pine