This past Sunday at Citywalk’s 1st Annual Sushi Picnic, there was a lot of fun in the sun. Upon arrival, I spotted a group of folks on the volleyball court laughing and egging each other on. Seated in beach chairs,  mommies and soon-to-be mommies chatting about motherhood. Children playing with frisbees and golden retreivers playing catch with their owners. It was a fine setting for a Sunday afternoon.

I kind of wish the rest of the world could experience this afternoon Sunday setting.

The mood on the vball court was a little different. Lots of ambitious players doing some trash talking and being overtly competitive. But although every player was working hard for the team and wanting to score, we were civil. We all worked hard but  paid respect to one another for the sake of the game and the love we had for one another.

For a  brief moment, I wondered what a peaceful place the world would be if our world leaders were forced to meet every Sunday afternoon at Balboa park for some sun and volleyball.  I imagine Obama spiking the ball over the net and Kim Jong Il going, “Oh, that was a good one!”

Or, Ahmadinejad setting the ball to Felipe Calderon. After the game, the players would run under the net to switch swides and give each other low fives saying, “Good game, good game.”

The world would be a better place, one picnic at a time.

I never understood that phrase. Why would anyone want to catch more flies? But of course, as we all know, it’s just a figure of speech- really the basic principle behind the adage is that we get more with kindness. I encountered one of these “honey versus vinegar” moments recently with my dentist. My dentist is a kind and funny man. I met him today for the first time.

He came highly recommended by my husband when he last went in for a root canal. I figure, if Bill can recommend a dentist after undergoing a root canal, then this dentist comes highly recommended.

My first appointment was scheduled last week at 7am. Being responsible, I wanted to get my cleaning out of the way before heading into work. Well, this backfired on me. After waking up gruelingly too early to make it to my appointment, the hygenist refused to clean my teeth. She stated that because I was a new patient and not a patient of record, she could not treat  me.

If only this lady could see the steam form between my ears. What’s utterly ironic is that she was the happy cheerful chatty morning person. The type that if you’re like me, NOT a morning person, would like to jab with a sharp object. She took my X-rays as a consolation so that maybe my appointment wouldn’t be a complete waste of time.

Great, thanks.

I left that office feeling gypped, wronged, mistreated and with an earful of chippy idle chatter from a hygenist that wouldn’t even treat me.

Wonderful.

The receptionist (of the dentist that came highly recommended) calls me and apologizes profusely, amends the problem by rescheduling me as soon as possible, and I’m left still a bit unnerved.

But here, with all this- I think to myself. This is a situation where I could go with honey or I could go with vinegar. Boy, I thought of all the wonderful snide comments I could make about my appointment misfortune. I thought of humorous sarcastic remarks that could easily cost someone their job. But, in the eye of the storm…in the sanity of a saved situation, I decided to give it a rest. I decided to go with honey.

And I strongly believe that God rewarded me for that. This morning, I arrive at my appointment at 7 am, armed with kindness. I enter the office to meet highly recommended dentist, who greeted me at the door with sincere apologies. I smile, shake his hand, and again opt to repay honey with honey.

Seated in the dentist chair, the dentist apologizes again. More honey begetting more honey. I thanked him. Out of all the sarcastic remarks that I might have had in my arsenal. I simply said, ”I’m glad you were able to fix the problem.” I left it at that.

The new hygienist, fortunately, was not so chatty. In fact, she was the right amount of chatty. She was kind, good at what she did, and I was beginning to forget about the nightmare situation before. People were smiling, spirits were high and I felt at ease.

I left the dental office with a clean mouth and clean thoughts.

Matthew 15:18 says, “But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’”

I truly believe that what we say is a direct reflection of what we hold in our hearts. In order to speak kindness, I needed to work on what was in my heart. I know that I will have to learn this lesson over and over again. And until I get it right…here’s to Honey!

Gratitude is an expression of love that reaps numerous rewards.

When I am grateful, I practice the right perspective of life.

When I am grateful, I am holding love in my heart.

When I show gratitude towards my co workers, family, and friends, I receive gratitude back.

Gratitude is the greatest “vicious cycle”.

When I give thanks to the Lord, He is honored.

When I give thanks for the things God has blessed me with, He blesses me more.

When I am grateful for the little things in life, I can’t help but to be grateful for the bigger things in life, too.

Gratitude is an expression of love that reaps numerous rewards.