Day 17 -- Half Way

I'm at little past the half-way mark of THIRTY DAYS OF NICE and have learned that doing this daily is starting to instill in me a real desire to do something NICE each and every day. It's becoming a habit, a NICE habit. I start the day thinking "What can I do today to be NICE?"

Sometimes my acts of NICE will be something as simple as saying "hello" to a stranger, or letting someone go in front of me in the market, or remembering someone's birthday or anniversary with a card (so few people send cards nowadays and everyone likes to get mail). I am learning when you do something NICE, NICE comes back to you.

For instance, I was walking my dog the other day and brought along a dollar and a quarter to buy a soda at the corner gas station. When I got to the soda machine, I put the dollar in the machine, but realized I lost the quarter somewhere along the way.

Just then, a homeless man in a wheelchair (missing his left leg below the knee) rolled over and asked if I could spare and change. I told him that I didn't have any money with me; in fact, I couldn't even buy a soda for myself because I was 25 cents short. He handed me a quarter but I felt so bad that I said "No, no, I'll just get my dollar back and give that to you." He insisted I take his quarter-- "I want you to have your soda" so I took it and thanked him. He just wanted to be NICE.