About ten years ago, I seriously considered applying for a job as a San Diego city bus driver. Which sounds like a very strange thing for a 50+-year-old former network news anchor to do. It was an airy-fairy idea – I had been reading a lot of Buddhist books about love and it seemed to me that a bus driver would have the opportunity to spread lots of love.
Think about it:
You’re getting on the bus in the morning, crabby from lack of sleep and having to go to a job you hate, squeezing between all the jam-packed, equally-crabby people that you pretend not to see as you focus on your newspaper, dreading another stressful day at the office. The driver is sullen and makes your mood even worse. You get to work tired already, not wanting to deal with your co-workers or boss because they’re just going to want something from you. It’s going to be another awful day.
Or imagine this:
You see the bus coming and smile because your favorite driver is at the wheel. She greets you like a long-lost friend and asks how the kids are doing as you flash your monthly pass. You turn toward the crowd, not with trepidation but a big smile, and say hello to people you recognize as you grab a strap to hang onto. The driver edges out into traffic, continuing a conversation with several passengers, and you join in. Before you know it, you’ve reached your stop, still fresh and looking forward to a challenging day. The driver says, “Have a great day, see you tomorrow!” as you step off the bus. On the job, your co-workers benefit from your warmth and relaxed confidence. Your work, and theirs, is better too.
I had a driver like that. Everybody on his bus was happier for riding with him – he just made the day better.
And he made me see the world differently.
I didn’t apply for the job because I wasn’t up to it physically, but I did begin to think seriously about how my interactions with strangers could have an impact on the world. A smile, a hello – especially toward someone who may be expecting a less-than friendly response in these tense times, like someone of another ethnic background than yours – can be a tiny beginning toward peace and healing. (I know, there’s a lot more to it than that, but we have to start somewhere.)
Every time we start another #customerlove challenge, I can hear John Lennon singing, “Love is the answer,” over and over.
“And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make…”
I believe it, I do. And I don’t care if it sounds naive. I think about that bus driver ten years ago, and wonder how far the ripples have now spread, what good has resulted from the love he made.
One result, at least indirectly, is this challenge.
The ripples just keep spreading outward. Everybody’s life is better, all because of one happy, customer-loving bus driver. And who knows where that love came from – his wife? His mother or father? A teacher long ago? A stranger on a bus?
Ripples never end.
This is the last day of the challenge. I hope you’ve had an amazing 28 days full of ideas and new people – and love. That’s what this is all about.
Tomorrow, I will wrap things up with links to all the launches that I hope will result from the challenge. Send me your link, even if your launch isn’t happening right away. I’ll continue posting about everybody’s launches as they come up.
So post your launch link in the comments below or email me. And get ready for the next challenge in April!
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LaVonne, this post gave me goosebumps. Maybe because I’m an old Beatles fan too, but there’s more to it than that.
“And in the end… the love you make… is equal to the love… you make.”
And you never know what seed you plant today will burst into bloom in the future.
Thank you to you and all the other CustomerLovers for making this such a wonderful experience!
We’re lucky to be old Beatles fans, aren’t we? What an amazing time that was, and what amazing lessons they taught us. Thanks for your lovely comment, Susan.
Such an awesome experience! So proud and delighted to be a part of it. Thanks to all the others CustomerLovers who made it great. May we all see wonderful success and love returned to us so we can keep the cycle going!
What a beautiful comment, thank you, Diane! I’m so glad you’ve joined us. Don’t forget to post a link to your product in the forum when you’re ready to launch it – we want to hear all about it!
Some people might think this is naive and sentimental. All of us, the Customer Love community know better. Thanks so much LaVonne for being the catalyst that brought this to life.
I spent many years trying to squelch my naiveté – and finally learned through hard experience that there’s a difference between being naive (i.e., willfully stupid) and believing in love. I don’t follow my childhood religion any more but I do believe, literally, in one thing it taught: God is Love.
Everyone appreciates a good bus driver: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgOyTNtsWyY
Frowns and smiles are infectious, and we have a choice of what we want to spread at any moment. Smiles are the way forward :o)
We can also spread surprise if we are awake to early to use emoticons properly 🙂
Wow, Colin, that is beautiful – thanks for sharing it.
I had a driver in Calgary just like that Yvonne – what a sweet memory! And I still remember the day of the hugest spring snow storm and none of the buses were stopping, they were all late and whizzing by, but HE stopped – I knew he would. = >
A teacher of mine takes this concept one step further – he says that people can suddenly feel peace or possibility or have an epiphany just by passing through your energetic “field” on a street corner. And everything we gain within ourselves is instantaneously shared on a quantum level.
Isn’t THAT cool?
I love that, Susan – so good to see you here! Do you think it’s true that we can affect people with our energetic field? I know I’ve felt *negative* energy from people – including unhappy, angry bus drivers – but it was more from seeing their expression, body language, etc. You know what a downer it is to have to interact with someone who hates their job.
Ok, this is an odd confession: I make it a point to send positive energy to children in public – nothing obnoxious, just a smile and lots of good thoughts – because I want them to know that people like them in case there’s anything negative going on in their lives. I’ve always been too embarrassed to tell anyone I do that because it sounds so airy-fairy!
Great post, agree absolutely…and
‘I know, there’s a lot more to it than that, but we have to start somewhere’..
actually, you don’t have to do much more..this is enough to make the other person wanted, capable, and ready to take on the world….
Than k you Lavonne for Customer Love , for this post, for being you 🙂
Thank you, Jen! You are the embodiment of love, a role model. I am so glad to know you. 🙂