30 Days of Joy: A Double Shot of Validation

Note: What you’re about to read is the next step in my challenge to find joy in something — anything — every day for 30 days. This entry is part 4.

I just experienced a double shot of joy.

As I was walking into my office building, I did a quick turn of the head to see if anyone was coming behind me.

There was, and she was in No Man’s Land — far enough that I could conceivably not hold the door for her, close enough that it’d be awkward/rude if I didn’t.

Recently, I wrote about how this situation stressed me out, because I never know what to do.

But after processing that ridiculous anxiety in the article, I concluded I should always err on the side of being a gentleman.

So that’s what I did. It was nice to contemplate a change here and execute it out there.

And yes, as I stood there holding the door, it was a little awkward when the woman broke into that hurry-up walk that looks like a run. But hearing the appreciation in her “Thank you” let me know I’d done the right thing.

As if that weren’t enough, the two of us then got on the same elevator, thanks to another woman who’d held the door for us.

And as they got off at their respective floors, each of them turned to me and said, “Have a nice day” — another gesture I’ve written about recently.

I have no illusions that these women read what I wrote; that’d be insane. I’m sure they’re just nice people.

But selfishly, their gestures served as validation that I’m writing about the right things, and I’m on the right path to improvement.

Because when it comes to how you interact with the world, you get back what you put out.

*****

This originally appeared on 100 Naked Words.