Take Care of Our Children – and Be Happy (A Message from the Train Driver)

Many of us meet new people every day. Maybe they influence us somehow whether we engage in dialogue with them or not just like the butterfly that flaps it wings somewhere contributing to the initiation of a tornado thousands of kilometers in the distance which in turn might blow clouds away and make the sun visible to us and put a smile on our face.

This short article is intended as a tribute to a train driver whose actions and words struck a note with me – and in extension a tribute to all the butterflies and everyday heroes who throw positive pebbles into our small ponds. The rippling effect is amazing to me. Thank you.

Message from the Train Driver

Message from the train driver of the S-train line B at Ryparken Station, Copenhagen, Denmark, 25 October 2019, 08:36 AM CET bound towards Hoeje Taastrup …

It was a Friday morning, and busy people with busy lives, where on a delayed S-train bound towards Copenhagen, the beautiful capital of Denmark. I was one of these busy people working on my laptop while in transit – really not being mindful of my surroundings – but that changed because of a message from the train driver.

Out of the Loudspeakers a Relaxed Voice Suddenly Demanded the Attention of the Passengers …

Unfortunately this S-train is delayed.
Your boss is probably angry.
If you are the boss, you are probably angry.

… but in the bigger picture …

It is Friday and soon it is weekend.
Maybe that can put a little smile on your face?
Look up from your mobile devices. Try taking a look at the other passengers.

Many passengers where now smiling, including myself.

As you go on with your day, remember to take good care of yourselves. 
Take even better care of others.
And most importantly: Take best care of all our children – they are our future – and maybe us adults can learn something from them in terms of co-creating a better world for generations to come?

At least the above message from the train driver put a smile on my face – and I felt compelled to write it down and share it (I was using my laptop at the time of the message – as this article maybe shows) with around 50 or so of my colleagues at the destination I was going to. And so I did.

I am not arguing that we should all run around and throw philosophical pebbles (gems?) in every direction all the time – but we can once in a while be more self-reflective and ask ourselves “how do I behave when… [insert any given situation occurs]”. And maybe a delayed train is also another opportunity of learning to be more mindful?

Respons-ability, Learning and Growing

Questions I enjoy asking myself on a daily basis (credit to Fred Kofman):

“What can I do now (response-ability)”?
“What can I learn from this”?

Dear to me unknown train driver: Thank you kindly for reminding me about this.

#growinghuman #everydayhero #mademyday #smalldeedsmatter #positivedeviance #savethechildren #consciousbusiness

Mark J. Chaudhry, 27 October 2019

Sources of Inspiration

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