The Right Reason
Before I begin with this week’s story, I want to share a New York Times headline from the “You can’t make this stuff up!” department.
C.D.C. Warns of the Dangers of Drinking Hand Sanitizer After Fatal Poisonings
Federal health authorities issued a formal warning on Wednesday about the dangers of drinking hand sanitizer and alerted poison control centers across the nation to be on the lookout for cases of methanol toxicity after four people died and nearly a dozen became ill.
Do we really need to warn people not to drink hand sanitizer? Seriously?? Even I’m smart enough not to drink hand sanitizer. At some point don’t you think this might be God’s way of thinning the herd? Maybe they had a good reason, like they were trying to wash down the Tide pods. Okay, enough of that. Back to this week’s story
A few months ago I joined a local Toastmasters club. They have some great members and it’s been very rewarding. So far, I have given three speeches and I would like to share a few excerpts from the one I gave a few weeks ago. It is called “The Right Reason.”
The premise of my speech was to examine why we do some of the things we do and ask ourselves if we are doing them for the right reason. I will give you a couple of examples.
- The tip jar
You might be from an older generation if you have ever started a sentence with the words, “Back in my day.” Back in my day we didn’t have tip jars. Now they are everywhere. I don’t have a problem putting money into the tip jar, but they need to notice I put money in the tip jar. Now the right reason to put money in the tip jar shouldn’t be so they notice me, it should be to reward good customer service. I had someone tell me they always make sure the staff notices, so they don’t spit in their coffee. If that’s a true concern, might I suggest a new coffee shop.
- Letting someone into traffic
If I am stopped at a red light, and I notice someone needs to merge into traffic, I always try to wave them in. But if I wave them into traffic and I don’t get the courtesy thank you wave, my first thought is, “I wish I didn’t let you merge jerk!” Even though it’s nice to get the courteous thank you wave, the right reason should be to let them in because it’s the considerate thing to do. There is, however, an exception to this rule. When there are warning signs on a two-lane highway that one of the lanes will be closed ahead, and someone flies by the traffic in the lane that will be open and then tries to squeeze in. You are not allowed to let them in. No matter what! Yes, Utah drivers, I’m talking to you.
In all seriousness, I have been fortunate enough to have had some amazing people in my life that are great illustrations of doing things for the right reason. I don’t have enough time to mention them all, but I need to mention three wonderful women. I would like to thank Shannon, Kristi, and my sister Patty for their examples of compassion, caring, and selflessness. Thank you for teaching me how to do things for the right reason. The compass I use is simple. Will this make them proud of me? I hope you are all fortunate enough to have people like them in your life. Thanks for reading.
Next week: Happy birthday Shannon
P.S. If you go to the store and purchase a large bottle of hand sanitizer, please do it for the right reason.