It Doesn't Cost Anything For an Ogre to Be Nice

It's true! It doesn't cost anyone anything to be nice. I learned that this morning. I should say, I started learning that again this morning and I plan to keep working on it.

As I drove toward Remote office #2, Moxie Java, this morning I tuned into NPR (National Public Radio). I needed a break from Kind of Blue, I wasn't in the mood for sports-just yet, and have vowed to NEVER again listen to Rick and Bubba. Ask me why sometime. I'd love to tell you. And so, thank God for NPR. It is very refreshing. It is the best news source around. It has some incredible shows on Saturdays--Click and Clack, Wait, Wait, to name two--real-deal jazz when you can catch it and all the classical music you can shake a timpani at! And they have ogres. That's right. NPR: Now with ogres!

In the middle of some fine piece from the classical period, if memory serves, Farnsworth and I heard the blasts of emergency test frequencies. Strange, sure. Though not nearly so strange as what followed.

I then heard several small, or young, children argueing...with an ogre. He is just about to aquiesse to agreement. The children wanted this big, mean, ogre to stop roaring all the time. Apparently, the ogre's roaring had become problematic. The big fella realized though, that he had a bargaining chip. He would indeed stop roaring if the children would simply stop their incessant argueing. He would promise to be nice to them if they would promise to be nice to each other. It was win-win. And it wouldn't cost one, red, cent!

I have no idea how this show blasted through NPR airwaves for the 2 minutes the tale took to tell. Though I figure that it, as does everything, happened for some good reason.

And so, when providence befalls you, or a ogres persuades you, take time to realize it might just be the day's gift.

The next time you feel tempted to argue, fuss, be critical, condescending, rude or hateful--or anything mean--remember what you might end up doing to my new big, nasty, stinky, new friend. The world has enough roaring ogres. Be an ogre that looks less like something from The Lord of the Rings, but looks more like something from The Last Supper.

Or, think of it this way: be nice to strangers...you never know when you may be entertaining an ogre.

Peace to you this day. And I mean it!