Thumbs Up!

When did the last time you get a thumb up from someone? No, not the like thumb in your Facebook posts, or any thumb expression in social media. I mean THE REAL THUMB UP, with a smile usually.

Well, I got one just last night.

I was walking home from the supermarket near my house after buying some groceries, and I walked past some street vendors. All of a sudden, one guy who sat on the sidewalk (I guess he sells raincoats, but I’m not sure since he was doing nothing) looked at me and say, “Teh!” (means ‘sister‘, a polite calling for woman in Sundanese) and he gave me a thumb up as he smiled. I smiled back, of course, and keep on walking.

As i continued walk home, I couldn’t help but wonder, why did the man gave me a thumb up? What did I do? Was it because I was well-dressed? Irrelevant. Besides, I was wearing my after-office attire with flip-flop, so nothing was special. Was it because I patiently wait until there were no more cars so I could cross the street? Well for me that was an achievement since I’m a little scared to cross the street alone. But I guess the man wouldn’t know my little phobia, would he.

But nevertheless, the smile on the guy’s face and the little gesture with his thumb made me smile and, frankly, made me happy. It was like as if someone saw my achievement and complimented me for doing good. Not because I said/wrote or shared something on Facebook, in which people gave the obligatory ‘like thumb’ like they care (or just to show people that he’s active on social media and prevent self from being unfriended/unshared). The little gesture from that total stranger made me realize that from all of the problems or shitty things we are facing every day, there is something good we did – even if it’s just a little gesture, and we probably didn’t realize it. The thumb says “You’re doing a good job!” and that would mean a lot to anyone.

So maybe it’s your time to notice the real people around you, not just notice the meme post from your friends on Path or long status on Facebook. And when they did something good – even if it’s just putting off his cigarette before entering public transportation, you can give him a thumb up (or just a complimentary smile). They will feel good about it. And seeing their happy reaction, believe me, you will feel good too.