I have a close friend, with whom I disagree on one thing. He commonly uses the phrase, “It’s all good.” You have to know him to understand why he says this. He’s nearly always full of hope and his disposition is cheery. He’s enormously generous and caring. He loves his wife, adult children and grandchildren. He gives of himself to others, as acts of service are a fundamental part of his everyday life. I forgive him this one error in his judgment. In fact, it’s not all good. Some of it is bad.

But, today, on the sixth day of Anno Domini 2018, there’s no better moment to consider, again, how we look at good.

I’m not at all a fan of new year’s resolutions. No offense to those who gear up for this sort of thing, but to me it’s a bit artificial. If it’s important to take on, I think any day is as good as any other day to go about such business. I’d rather be resolved to do little things all of the time in a way that they don’t end up requiring all that much thought. In other words, integrate them into the fabric of life, like having two good cups of coffee in the morning.

Bad habits are often hard to break and acquiring good new habits can also be challenging. Which is why, to me, small steps and short term goals are really the key. Resolving to lose 10-15 pounds or more can be daunting when compared to eating a bit more fruits and vegetables. I still don’t drink as much water as I should.

I’m not saying anything that everyone doesn’t already know. But, that brings me to the point.

How hard is it to bless someone today? How hard is it to wake up in the morning with that resolution? Every morning.

This topic is not a stranger to these pages.

So many people go about their daily lives, seemingly in bubbles of their own making. I’m somewhat of an observer of human behavior because it fascinates me. I find myself wondering about people’s stories. Perhaps that’s because I’m an armchair historian and people’s stories are the makings of history. But, back to the bubbles. Think about it. The hustle and bustle of life, going from one thing to the next. Some of us are fortunate enough to have daily contact with a number of people we care about. Family, friends, coworkers and so forth. Others, perhaps, not so much.

Which brings me to strangers.

Our contact with strangers is usually brief and uneventful. We’re with them in an elevator. Standing in line. A quick interaction with the clerk at check out. The ubiquitous “Hi. How are you?” “Fine, how are you?” Rote and largely detached. Both the question and answer are, you have to admit, largely meaningless, as is the overall interaction. Maybe we have slightly more interaction with the waiter or waitress at the restaurant, as they greet us, take our order, serve us our food and, later, bring the check. Of course, some people don’t like being bothered while out and about. As I said, a bubble.

Diane and I were having an early breakfast at our Best Western hotel outside of Tucson last Saturday. A nice lady came to serve us. She was quick with the coffee (always a great touch!) and sweetly offered to substitute home potatoes for the fruit bowl on my order as I’m allergic to melons. I asked her name, Mary Lou, and we left sometime later after hearing her remarkable life story. She did not push it on us but replied to some prompts as she came and went and I left marveling at the opportunity to get to know her, even just a little and for a brief time. We will never see her again but our collective worlds were enlarged. It took no effort and the reward was tangible.

I am not a social media person but I read about it and how it is changing human relationships. We no longer enter into conversations of any real merit. There is a lot of exchange of information in small bits and pieces. A lot of information, followed by lots of comments and likes and the sorts. I’ve read that many people spend hours and hours each day online, reading, writing and commenting with dozens or hundreds of “friends,” without having any type of real and deep relationship. No real smiles, just emojis that offer a “virtual” reality to replace actual body language. Now, mind you, I am guilty of this in a smaller way. I use about three emojis and actually just developed a “bitmoji avatar,” which is kind of fun. But, in the absence of real human interaction on a regular basis, these virtual environments are sadly deficient.

We can either be an agent of good in this world or not. Most of us try to be the former, yet know we fall short too frequently. What greater good is there than to bring value to the life of another? To extend some form of love, grace or hope to someone, even if they are a stranger? Lives lived in bubbles are lives lived in isolation, just another version of imprisonment. Overstated? Perhaps. But I don’t think I’m really off base by much.

The antidote is simple. Smile. Ask a question other than “How are you?” One of my common ones to service workers is “How have the customers been treating you today?” Refer to them by name if they have a name tag. If they don’t have a tag, ask them their name and thank them by name. Greet the custodian sweeping outside of the building and thank him or her. I’ve been amazed at times of what can develop from a simple little overture.

Of course, when we invest of ourselves in relationships, we open the door to opportunities for goodness on deeper levels.

But, for now, what would the answer be if, at the end of the day the question was, “How did an act of goodness on your part today touch the life of another?”

Happy New Year