Recently I was flying home from Indianapolis. As I put my bag overhead, a passenger in front of me recognized a friend boarding and waved hello. When the second fellow realized they were sitting next to each other “unplanned” they got shared a hug. As they sat down, a third man waiting to pass by said jokingly, “Oh, I see. You both get a hug, but what about me?” The men were caught off guard.

Quickly, I turned and spread my arms, “Well, if you really need one, I’ll help!” Everyone broke into a laugh as

I hugged this complete stranger, sat down, and then realized -

He was sitting in the seat next to me, too!

We talked as the plane took off. “Why would you hug a complete stranger?” he asked.
“Why not? What could possibly happen other than what did?” I replied.
“I didn’t expect it. I’ve come to expect the opposite these days. No humor. Everyone is on guard. It worries me because I have two little girls who are going to grow up in a very difficult world.”

“But the world isn’t that difficult,” I said. “We are led to believe it is because we can only see little bits of it. And most of that is negative. That’s how our brains work: spotting risks while taking the good stuff for granted.”

“No, no,” he said. “You’re just trying to cheer me up. The world is more dangerous than ever.”

“Let me tell you about something I do every Friday,” I said and proceeded to tell him about GOOD NEWS FRIDAYS I’ve shared for the past few years. “I simply point out a few one-line positives that would otherwise go overlooked. And while it’s all true, it has two effects:”

First, it helps people notice that things are much better than we can see. That we’re living longer, happier, healthier, safer, wealthier, more intelligent, and more meaningful lives.

“And second,” I said, “I write it as an exercise for myself. By purposefully going on the hunt for good things, I flip the tables on my attention. I’m in control, not a computer algorithm. I’m directing my brain to find what I seek. I am asking for the GOOD to be shown, and then it appears. I begin to become attuned to the world as a GOOD PLACE.”

“Yes, but can my daughters learn to do that?”

“Well, you’re their father. Seems to me that someone who could ASK for a hug - and accept it - from a complete stranger knows exactly how to teach his children how to look for the good stuff, too.”

I shook his hand, and he looked away, wiping his eyes.
Sometimes we just need to ask for - or give - a hug.

Things are pretty good indeed.

#alwaysinspiring