One of my favorite readings is Desiderata. Contained in its words is a familiar formula for a peaceful soul. One of my favorite phrases in Desiderata is, “As far as possible and without surrender, be on good terms with others”. It is something we can apply every day. Here is an example:
I have a new neighbor across the street, and one of their frequent guests makes a habit of parking their car in front of my house. On the days when I mow the lawn, I cannot fully complete my job with the car parked there. My thinking began to take a wrong turn. “That takes a lot of nerve. Why can’t they part in front of their own lawn?” Then I put on the brakes, and decided on another option: Why not go over there, introduce myself in a friendly way, and request that they move the car so that is doesn’t get hammered with grass clippings when I am mowing? We had a nice friendly conversation, and they invited me to swim in their pool. Not only did I solve my problem, I gained a new friend.
I think it is important to note that these folks were nice, friendly people. They reacted positively to my respectful approach. I have found that about 90% of the time when we approach people in a friendly way, they respond well. Occasionally we run in to someone who is frustrated and bitter, and they may not be recceptive. Just remember, most people respond favorably when we begin in a friendly way. If we keep this in mind, we can have more friends and less stress. That’s good time management!
