Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Today I smiled and laughed when I really felt like crying....

Today was a tough day for me. I received some news that was kind of disheartening and left me feeling blank and empty. I mean it was good news for the person, but wow did it hurt. I sat there and joked and laughed and continued to try to make the issue seem to not have had an impact on me, but it did.

The good I see in this is, I smiled and made my dear friend feel happy even when I felt like breaking down and crying. I made him smile and let him know he's still cool with me, even though my heart was crushed and my feelings were hurt. I cracked jokes to calm the room from tension even though I felt over looked and unappreciated. Even now, there are tears in my eyes as I write this, there is a pain in my heart as I cross each  t and dot each i. I ask myself, "what do I gotta do?" Yet I still have no answers for myself.

It's tough being strong for someone else, just so they won't feel the pinch of tension and frustration while their trying to enjoy "their" moment.They say,"never let em see you sweat." If only they could see me now. Maybe I'm too sensitive or maybe, just maybe, I'm just human.

"There's hope, it doesn't cost a thing to smile, and you don't have to pay to laugh. You better thank God for that." ( Arie 2008 )

Tinzley Bradford

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Doing good only gets better....

Today while I was at work on my way from lunch, I looked back and noticed a guy heading my way with a fully loaded cart of something I'm assuming he needed. I looked at him and asked, " Are you coming this way?" He replied, " Yes." I held the door so he could get in with out such a struggle and possibly dropping something. He thanked me and asked me if I like chocolate. "Of coarse" I said yes. He gave me a candy bar pre-packaged with what ever organization he works with on the label. I looked at him, smiled, accepted the candy bar and asked, "Who are you?" I know I hadn't seen him before. He told me his name, we shook hands and he walked off.

For a few minutes we made a connection, one I'm certain he won't forget and neither will I. When I noticed the organization he works with, it brought tears to my eyes, for I knew this was a strong, kind, loving yet dedicated man. Glad I had the pleasure to meet him.

Now she can remove all the tags off all her pillows and comforters....YAY!


So I wasn't sure if this fit in the category of doing something good. Then I thought about it and said; because of the information I shared, this woman can go home and freely cut all the tags off all her pillows and comforters she'd  felt forced to leave on her entire life. YAY!!!

I was out shopping the other day looking for some pillows to match my sofa. (I found some gorgeous ones by the way.) I ran into a lady who was doing the same thing, she and I both spoke about how nice the selection of pillows were, then she said," If only I didn't have to keep those stupid tags on them, they would be even prettier." I looked at her and said," Why would you have to keep the tags on them, you're the consumer and they become yours once you leave the store." She replied, yes but I thought it said...OMG it says the tags can only be removed by the consumer!! OMG I'm going home and cutting all those tags off everything!! Thank you !!" I don't think I've ever seen anyone more excited, (maybe except for me once I learned I could remove the tags.)

Apparently, she just like me, used to read only part of the tags and only noticed the part that says, "Under the penalty of law, this tag not to be removed except by the consumer." I often thought that was silly so one day I just really looked at it and read it, that's when I noticed.

I'm certain it's not like I just saved the world from some sort of attack, but I can proudly say, this woman can and will be tag free. And just think of how many of her friends lives she's going to make a difference in? I just told one of my friends the other day as well, and she was just as surprised.

How many will you cut today? It's okay, we are all guilty of thinking we'd go the jail or be on Americas most wanted  if we didn't leave the tags on our pillows. Hmmm, that sounds like it could be a movie or something. It can be called," Remove Your Tags And Die!!" I'll check with my agent, good day all!

Tinzley Bradford

Saturday, April 24, 2010

The other day, I told a woman her hair was beautiful....

While I was on my way in Walmart, I was greeted by an older woman who was working the door as a greeter. I had a return to make so she stopped me and asked to tag my bag. Usually I would have gotten irritated because I know I don't steal, so why does my bag need to be tagged?  I'd just witnessed someone ahead of me being not so nice, and treating this lady like she was a nobody. I could see this lady looked to be at retirement age, trying to make ends meet. The look on her face and the energy she gave was that of someone afraid and not knowing where they stood in life. Not to mention the person ahead of me who'd just snatched a bag back from her and stormed off without even saying thank you. I could tell this woman was hurt by that, and God only knows how many people had been treating her that way all day long.

What if she was a grandmother who'd recently taken custody of her grandchildren for what ever reason? What if her husband, soul mate, and only person she had to support her recently fell sick and they can't afford the medical expenses, so she has to go back to work? What if she just lost everything she had in her retirement ( remember Enron?) and now she had to go back to work?

All she wants is to do her job and do it well. All she wants is to service customers the way she was trained.All she needs is to be loved.I thought can I be that someone she needs, just for the moment?

I looked her in her eyes as she scanned my bag, smiled and said,"your hair is beautiful and fits you well!" Her face lit up and she smiled back and began to tell me how much easier it is to manage. It was salt and pepper and was cut in the prettiest style. She handed my bag back, smiled and told me the service desk was straight down to my left. I said "Thank You!"


Tinzley Bradford

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Yesterday I gave money to a lady who asked.....

Yesterday while I was shopping, a lady asked me if I had a dollar I could spare so she could have enough to pay for her groceries. I gave her four dollars. I didn't even know her name or her story, I just knew she was a person in need. I know it's a gift to have enough love in your heart to  not judge her because she's in the grocery store with out enough money, but to love her and give from your heart. I wish I could have paid for all her groceries.

Tinzley bradford

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Today I reached out to old friends and co-workers I haven't spoken to in a long time.



It was nice connecting with old friends and co-workers, some I haven't seen or spoken to in years. They were just as warm as they always have been, which shows distance doesn't mean a thing when the bond you have is sincere. People will always show you love when you step back into the scene.

I strongly encourage anyone to just reach out to someone no matter how long it's been and get caught up, tell them they were just on your mind, or just send them a nice note. I tell you, love goes a long way and showing it no matter how little or big,can mean the world to someone. There are times when people may be going through some things and at times don't have the time or the energy to stay in touch, that's where you come in.
Make someone's day, reach out and make a difference in someones life, you never know; you may be just what they need.

Tinzley Bradford

Friday, April 16, 2010

Today I Left Nice Comments on Someones Blog

I was surfing Oprah.com and came across a blog titled, " I'm pregnant and he wants out of his responsibilities." I could tell the poster was a scared, lost confused and hurt individual. I could feel her fear, sadness, frustrations, and feelings of deception through her tone. I could also feel her need for someone to not judge her, but to understand her if only just for that moment. She was married, had an affair with a married man and she got pregnant with twins. Suddenly, he no longer loves her and has decided to stay with his wife, even though he said he would leave his wife for her.

This is a tough one, but what I had to do is take a nice long look at the issue and not pass judgment on this poor, sad, lonely, woman who was just looking to be loved; I had to look at what's right instead of who's right. I know I have wanted to be loved too and God only knows the things I've done just to feel loved. I left a comment that I thought would sort of guide her through this issue, I included it below. I went to work this morning feeling like I made a difference. I didn't even know this woman, but I felt for her. I went to work feeling like I knew she was better, and she now knows there are still nice people out there who truly care and  understand. I never seen her a day in my life, but I feel like we made a connection, which will last a life time.

What good thing did you do today? I'd love to know, please post in the comments section so we can talk about it. Thank you for visiting.

Tinzley Bradford


This was the link: http://www.oprah.com/community/thread/124989