Comment: Bloom, damn you.

I think it’s our job in life to just go around helping people. It doesn’t have to be overtly obvious, but I think the main goal for people, at least for living a satisfying life, is in learning to satisfy others. Counterintuitive? Possibly.

This isn’t exactly a newsflash. Many religions in theory claim this, though few are able to live up to the truly giving spirit espoused. Frankly I know I try to do good and often don’t get it right. Intention isn’t everything, but it should count for something.

The reference above is to an old episode of Reno 911 that I saw years ago. For those of you unacquainted with the show, it’s a raunchy and hilarious COPS-style fake reality show about Reno’s finest, who turn out to be anything but. There’s one character, Trudy, I think, who is repressed and uptight and all tucked in and in the episode I’m thinking of she meets a scam artist who lights her fire.

And as they’re sitting in the car, he is telling her how lovely she is and he says, “Bloom, damn you.” And bloom she does. Her entire demeanor changes for the rest of the episode, until he is pretty much run out of town to the sounds of banjo music.

The point is, there are only so many chances we have in this life to encourage people and help make them happy; in so doing we inevitably make ourselves happy.

Case in point; I found myself leading an improv workshop the other night to a bunch of super cool women, as I mentioned in a recent post. What was most satisfying about it was not the enormous amounts of laughter and fun, which were great; it was the comments afterward. One woman told me they didn’t think they would like it as much as she did, and that she loved it; another who had limited English did really well and probably didn’t think she would feel as successful as she did. And yet another, a particularly shy person, called it an inspirational workshop. Wow.

Anyway I’m not trying to get all self-congratulatory. I was just reminded that it feels really good to help people realize their own potential. This is why overall I really enjoy teaching, as well as being a parent, although it is harder to teach your own flesh and blood, or so I’ve learned.

When I think of the people I know who are the most content with their lot in life, they are primarily helping others grow in some way; they are teachers, nurses, social activists. They’re all encouragers, which is a positive thing, as opposed to enablers, which are generally a bad thing if I’m to believe every Louise Hay and Melody Beattie book out there. (And maybe I do.)

Think about your own life and where you help others bloom.

It might just make your day.