"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around."

—Leo Buscaglia

I recently participated in a virtual UNC-Charlotte career fair. Students and recent graduates queued up to wait for a one-on-one chat with participating companies about open positions. I felt a little nervous wondering if anyone would join our queue; after all, our demographics skew slightly older. I wondered if younger people would be excited about the magazine. 

But then I had conversations with one eager student after another, and by the end of the career fair, I felt truly encouraged. It was great talking with so many young people who really appreciated the content of the magazine, and while only one of them said they’d been reading Natural Awakenings for some time—an older student, launching a second career—most of them joined the queue after reading that our focus was natural health and green living. It was clear to me that there are a number of young people who are passionate about health, fitness and sustainability, and who want to be part of promoting these things. 

As I talked to these students, it also struck me that, like many of you, I haven’t been hearing much positive feedback lately. All the bad news about violence (especially involving young people), the weather, the delta variant, etc., had taken an emotional toll that I hadn’t even realized. Just the sense of excitement I got from a few young people made a world of difference. 

That has me thinking about what I can do to brighten other people’s day, and the one thing that comes to mind immediately is to make a greater effort to complete company reviews and customer-service surveys. Positive reviews and surveys help small businesses get new customers and help employees get acknowledged for good work. I used to avoid filling them out, thinking I didn’t have the time—even when I’d received excellent service. But now I’m going to make the time, because it’s an honest compliment that could make somebody’s day, and I know how good that feels right now.

Wishing you an October of small acts of caring. 

Shannon