Magic Words

“Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.”  ~Meister Eckhart, German theologian, philosopher and mystic (1260-1328)

It was 7:27 am on a Tuesday morning. I stared across the street at the fenced parking lot of Redeemer Baptist Church. The two mastiffs which guarded the lot were ambling about, sniffing the ground aimlessly. In the distance, I could hear the rotor of a traffic helicopter thumping the air as it hovered over the 10 freeway. 

Mr. Herbie, our 70+ year-old crossing guard, was on medical leave following knee replacement surgery.  Every weekday, from 6:30 to 8:30am, he stood dutifully, with his hand-held stop sign, at the corner of Jefferson Blvd and Cimarron in south/central Los Angeles. His job was to escort students across the street as they arrived at Holy Name of Jesus School. 

His was no simple task, particularly as 8:00 am, the school start time, approached. Parents stopped or parked on both sides of the street. At the same time, morning commuters, on their way to work, did their best to squeeze through the stopped traffic. The result was sometimes just plain scary.

With Mr. Herbie convalescing at home the de facto crossing guard duties had fallen to me. The job was one of flurries of hectic activity with long intervals of waiting and watching. To bide the time I found myself waving to people in the passing cars and shouting “Good morning!” Pedestrians too received my cheery greeting. Nobody was safe from my morning salutation, not even transit and garbage truck drivers.

At first, I was greeted with suspicion, surprise or was just simply ignored. As the days wore on, however, slowly, some started to return my gesture. There is an old Chinese proverb that goes something like: “If a man sits on his porch long enough, the whole world will come to him.”

Here at my little corner of the world, it seemed this might be true. I saw everything from gang-bangers in low-riders and rice rockets to a vintage Lincoln Continental with oodles of chrome. There were groups of construction workers crammed into old pickup trucks and vans. It truly seemed as if the world was passing by my little corner, all slowly warming to my well intended greeting.

One overcast morning, I stood facing a late-model Volkswagen Beetle with my back to the traffic. I was helping a mother and her two daughters carefully exit their vehicle. A horn ‘beeped’ behind me. The noise startled me. I turned quickly and caught sight of a large, late-model pickup truck passing behind me. Then, in a moment, I saw four or five calloused hands stuck out the windows, followed by a chorus of “Good morning!” 

“It’s catching on,” I thought, smiling to myself; and returning to the task of getting the two girls safely across the street.  

There is a kind of magic in a sincere greeting such as, “Good morning.” Setting aside the fact that simple civility is waning in this day and age and people are surprised to be treated with civility, people also need positive affirmations. “Good morning,” is not simply a greeting. It is a way of saying to someone, “You deserve to be here…on this planet…in this place…sharing it with me and the others around us.”

If you have ever wondered how to start being a good steward, start by saying, “Good morning,” to everyone you meet. Do not skip anyone. After all, for some your “Good morning,” may be the only “good” thing that happens to them all day!
Dear God: Remind me daily of the magic in, “Good morning.”

“Remind yourself every day that you are here on earth for a reason. You have talents and qualities that can bring goodness to others. A kind smile, a good word, a loving gesture - simple things that can change people.” ~Gino Whitley

©2013 James E. Carper. All rights reserved.