Happy New Year 2012. We say that all day long, but how long does this sentiment last, and what do you do to make it happy? Do you want to show the world what the Central Coast is all about? Let’s do it every day of 2012 for 365 days of Central Coast Quality. Yes, it is a new year, and not too late to start regardless of when you read this. Even if you don’t find this post until August, you can make every day from that point about 365 Central Coast Style.
What is 365 Central Coast Style? EVERY DAY do something nice, productive, or helpful and log it. In your phone calendar. You should have an entry every day for something you did that was nice. Did someone stop for directions? Log that you helped them. Did you help the person in front of you at Carl’s Jr. pay for their food because they were just a bit short? Log it in your calendar. Did you help someone cope with a small crisis by reassuring them that people care? Log it. Did you overhear tourists wondering about local attractions so you answered questions for them? Log it.
Don’t log things like tithing to your church or court ordered community service because you plead no contest to aggravated assault. It should be something spontaneous and heartfelt. For instance, my entry for today will include this blog because I am doing something productive for our community by encouraging others to be kind and helpful. Did you toss some money in a hat downtown? Did you buy some Girl Scount cookies? I think those qualify because they are optional. and help the community. Don’t include the deductions you have signed up for from work to the United Way or other programs people sign up for direct payment, or because you sponsor a child in Africa.
Be spontaneously nice and helpful. Take a minute to help your neighbors. Pick up the paper in the driveway and hand it to the elderly woman that lives two doors down from you and can’t bend over to get it herself. Mow the lawn of a friend that has a broken leg. Cook a meal for a new mother. Provide a sandwich to a homeless person or give him a bundle of fresh new socks. All of these things make up the kindness that has traditionally been the Central Coast.
Why am I so concerned for kindness on the Central Coast? Because over the years we have changed. Not you and I that have been here for decades. I mean people who have transplanted here. You know the kind, from the big city that want to get away and not be a part of the community, those that bring their bad habits, or people who have lost sight of kindness because they did not get it when they were growing up. We have changed. We are no longer as hospitable and empathetic as we used to be. Sure, we throw money into pots, donate at Christmas, give to our church, and maybe even go to the local senior citizen bazaar and buy that knit item we will never use just because they made it and need the money. These are things that used to be our style.
We need to bring kindness back to the Central Coast. Sure, San Luis Obispo has been dubbed the happiest place on Earth, but is it the kindest? Most helpful? Friendliest? Not necessarily. You and I can bring this about. Email this article to all your friends and family that live here. Challenge them to do this and see who has the most consistent entries in their calendars. See what you can do to get others to care and help.
You might wonder how I have helped. I have personally helped people, paid for their lunches, and more. In fact, I was in a restaurant where some girls were debating what they could afford to buy and decided they could only afford one basket of french fries and drinks, even though they were very hungry. When they sat down, I went to the counter and paid for another order of fries for them discreetly. I am sure the girls don’t know who did it (unless they read this lol).
I have been in line in a store where someone was about a dollar short of buying what they want, so I threw a dollar up on the counter to pay the balance and they could have what they were buying. I have purchased items at rummage sales and overpaid for the items because it was worth the amount to me, and I knew the group could really use the money. I have joined in conversations with tourists that were trying to set their itinerary and had no idea where things were to put them in proper order. I have told people about our hidden gems. I have helped people I overheard in conversations on topics where I have some expertise. Even in a store where someone could not get any help, I answered questions about items they were looking at. They were so thankful for my help because they could not wait for the employee to get to them.
Be kind, be helpful, be loving, have Central Coast Style. What are you going to do? Are you going to step it up and make the Central Coast what it used to be, or just let the interlopers come in and make the Central Coast what suits them, or do we make them what suits us? Let’s not let them take us over. Let’s protect our way of life and get things back to normal. If you are one of these transplants and take offense to what I say, then that is good. I hope you do, because you have diluted the goodness of the Central Coast. If you want to redeem yourself, get with the program and become a real Central Coast resident and do what it takes to spread the goodness. You CAN redeem yourself and be part of the goodness here. Make it happen, Post your pledge below in a comment and follow through.
365 DAYS A YEAR
The Opinionator OTCC
