Monday Motivation….. August 17, 2026 (812)
I was stuck in a New York traffic jam on a bus packed with tired, frustrated passengers. Men were snapping at each other, nobody offered a seat to a pregnant woman, and the whole bus felt heavy with tension.
Then, on Seventh Avenue, the driver grabbed the mic and said: “Friends, I know we’ve all had a rough day. I can’t do anything about the weather or the traffic. But I can do something. Here’s my idea: as you leave through the front door, drop your worries and frustrations into my hand. I’ll drive across the Hudson and toss them right into the river. Sound good?”
People laughed. Their faces softened. These same folks who had been avoiding each other’s eyes suddenly looked around, wondering: is he serious?
He was.
At the next stop, the driver stuck his hand out through the fare window and waited. One by one, passengers walked by and pretended to place something in his palm. Some laughed, some even cried — but everyone touched his hand. And at the next stop, he did it again. And again, all the way to the river.
Moral:
We all have terrible days. Sometimes those “days” stretch into months or even years. You lose a job, money, friends, faith, or love. You watch the news, feel scared, and button yourself up tight against the world. Darkness can settle over all of us. You look for light, but can’t find it.
But what if the light… is you?
What if you can be the source of light? Like that bus driver — not a celebrity, not a spiritual teacher. Just an ordinary working man who tapped into extraordinary strength and chose to share it with strangers.
I can’t stop climate change. I can’t end wars.
But I can affect the people I cross paths with, even if we never meet again.
How I act matters, because I don’t live on an island. Fear and bitterness are contagious, yes. But so are kindness, patience, and generosity. And honestly, I believe that’s the only way we light up the world — one stop at a time, all the way to the river!
Have a great week ahead…!
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