The Power of the Fist Bump

A few weeks ago, my husband John and I were at a Dodger game.   We had really great seats.  I mean really great seats!!  We were in the first row on the railing of the second section just to the right of home plate.   On the other side of the railing was a walkway.

I had the pleasure of meeting the two young boys sitting next to me, Breck and Dillon, 10-year old buddies.  Breck’s dad was sitting directly behind them.  When the game started, they were full of energy and excitement (I think they were pretty excited about their seats too!)  The energy quickly shifted to the hot dogs and snacks that were handed to them.  Perfect entertainment as were the occasional foul balls that came close.

About the 5^th or 6^th inning, their enthusiasm started to wane.  (The Dodgers were winning, so I was pretty happy.)   The boys started looking for other ways to entertain themselves.    Dillon decided to see what would happen if he held his fist out over the railing in an attempt to get anyone walking by to “fist bump” him.  Then Breck tried it.    It didn’t take long for both boys to be delighted by the fans returning their “fist bumps.”  And with the fist bumps came smiles and laughter.   It became infectious!  Several people went back and forth and were now looking for the boys’ fists.  The boys were so excited by the response.   They were thoroughly entertained by making people smile!

I thought to myself how easy it was to make a connection for Breck and Dillon and shouldn’t it be this easy for everyone?   I’m not suggesting we fist bump everyone we come in contact with (although I love the thought of it!). But wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could get in the habit of greeting people at work, in the grocery story, at school and at home with a smile?

What a difference we could make.  Every day!  Thank you Breck and Dillon!!  It was a fun night!!

“Making one person smile can change the world.  Maybe not the whole world, but their world.  Start small.  Start now.”  www.morningquotes.com