Being an impeccable mother and a loving wife, maintaining cleanliness and comfort at home, as well as managing work can be quite a challenge.

Now add a few small children to the equation, and then the words ‘silence’ and ‘peace’ will vanish from the description of your everyday life.

This is all too familiar to Hayley from our story. Every day brings her new challenges and difficulties that leave a mark on her life.

One day, Hayley was driving to work but got stuck behind a slow-moving car. She barely managed to hold back her dissatisfaction about this.

After all, Hayley was in a rush, trying not to be late for work, and she didn’t want to waste time being stuck behind a car that was moving significantly slower than the speed limit.

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However, when Hayley stopped at a red traffic light, she noticed a note attached to the rear window of that very slow car.

Having read what was written on it, Hayley decided to share her thoughts on her blog page “Thoughts, Dots and Tots”. She says that her worldview changed drastically that day.

This is what she wrote:

“As I was pulling into work, I was following this car. The sign in the back window says, “Learning stick sorry for any delay.”
Knowing this information, I was very patient with their slow shifting, and honestly they were doing pretty well for still learning. Then I asked myself a tough question: Would I have been just as patient if the sign hadn’t been there? I can almost definitely say no.

We don’t know what someone is going through. We don’t wear signs that illustrate our personal struggles. You don’t see signs taped to people’s shirts that say, “Going through a divorce”, or “Lost a child”, or “Feeling depressed”, or “Diagnosed with cancer”.

If we could read visually what those around us are going through we would definitely be nicer. But we shouldn’t have to see signs and have reasons to treat strangers with kindness. We should do it anyway, whether we know what is going on or not. Whether they deserve it or not.

Let’s give everyone an extra dose of patience, kindness, and love. And have a Merry Christmas.”

The handwritten note indeed left a mark on Hayley’s worldview. She could still be angry and anxious behind the wheel, but instead, she chose to let go of anger and frustration, taking a deep breath, and maintaining calmness.

We all should follow Hayley’s advice (including me).

How often do we get angry when the bus is late, or when someone is rude to us, or when we have to wait for someone for a long time?
What’s the point of all this? Absolutely nothing — anger doesn’t help. Why not show kindness and compassion instead?

We would all be better off living in a friendly and harmonious world. It would be great if we could take a deep breath and remember Hayley’s advice instead of getting angry and anxious.

Please, SHARE Hayley’s important message with your family and friends on Facebook, so that as many people as possible can read it!