How to turn around a bad day

I bought a lavender-scented candle on the way home to help create a relaxed atmosphere that I desperately needed to unwind after a terrible and emotionally draining week at work. I rummaged in my purse for my keys for what seemed like forever.

Not good! Are you kidding? I don't have a key!

I can see my keys in my head now. There they were, leaning against the table by the door. That morning, when we went to work, my boyfriend locked the door and I unknowingly left the key at home.

What happened was that he had just got on a bus to meet a friend on the other side of town.

I couldn't help laughing at myself. What a fitting end to an awful week.

So, distracted, I walked down the street to the small coffee shop a few blocks away and waited at the table outside. The coffee shop was closed all day. All the lights were off. I was alone waiting for my boyfriend to come home and open the door.

Across the street from me, I could see a group of homeless people hanging out outside buildings. Sitting in the dark alone as a woman feel a little nervous and worried about the possibility of being harassed, I make sure I didn't face them back, because I tried to look as much as possible is very busy (candle labels have never as attractive as I see that night).

Out of my peripheral vision I could see a figure limping toward me. I took a deep breath and prepared myself.

It was a woman who appeared to be in her early 40s, with long blond hair and meth sores on her face. She came up to me and said, "Come hang out with us, my friends think you're super cute."

Oh, that's great. Began.

That night I was more than I could handle, and I politely declined "No thanks."

I could have easily gotten up and walked away, but my feet were hurting from standing all day, and I didn't budge.

She asked me, "What are you doing here alone on a Friday night?"

I told her my dilemma that my boyfriend was on his way home. She continued to convince me to hang out with her and her friends, and when she realized it would be easier to move a mountain, she asked if she could sit down with me.

Alone, with nothing to do but smell lavender scented candles, I shrugged and said, "Sure, why not?"

With a concerned look in her eyes, she asked me if I was hungry, as she was holding bags of fruit donated by a local church. Also, she gave me a few extra bus tickets if I needed to go somewhere.

My attitude towards her softened at once. We talked for a while, and she told me what life on the streets was like and her strained relationship with her daughter.

Then she asked me how my week had been, and without hesitation I blurted out what had gone wrong that week.

After about 15 minutes, I told her I couldn't wait to quit my job, go home and take a bubble bath, etc... I suddenly remembered who I was talking to.

Here was a woman, right in front of me, who had almost nothing in the world except a grocery cart full of all her worldly possessions, who listened to me, gave me fruit out of her limited food, and accompanied me.

I was ashamed of myself.

I've always felt terrible about my situation. One night, I was planning to focus on myself, and I was locked out of my apartment... Instead of sitting in a luxurious bubble bath with candles and a glass of wine, I was sitting in front of a coffee shop talking to a homeless woman.

But what I didn't realize was that I was so focused on my problems that I was missing the beauty of this moment. A homeless woman tried to help me feel better about my life.

Realizing this, I felt guilty for being selfish.

It wasn't just in this case that I was blinded by my own problems.

And that's what I think a lot of people are dealing with. We get so used to getting caught up in our own problems and challenges that we don't remember to see life from someone else's perspective.

My unforgettable night with the homeless woman reminded me that in this chaotic world, we are each fighting for our own little piece of happiness.

It's easy to get caught up in our own problems and forget to look outside.

Have you ever had a problem with...

The person you emailed last week hasn't answered? Maybe they're going through a family crisis.

Is your partner not as loving and affectionate as you would like? Maybe he's stressed about his financial or work problems.

Someone stopped you on your way to work? Maybe that person is on their way to the hospital to be with a loved one.

Did your boss call you names? Maybe their wives or husbands left them the night before.

Some people will be happy to trade your questions for theirs. My point is, think back to a time when you needed someone to feel sorry for you. Your smallest gesture of kindness can and does make a profound difference in someone's day.

The secret to gaining more compassion is to develop the habit of seeing things as others see them, because behind every person's actions is a positive intention to find their own happiness in the world.

Share humanity with those close to you because giving kindness during their toughest days is a gift that keeps on giving and has a powerful and lasting impact.