Every time I use a bathroom, I pick up something that’s on the floor. I wipe off the wet counter. I leave it just a little nicer for the next person.

I don’t spend an hour cleaning. I spend an extra two seconds grabbing the paper towel that fell on the floor.

I think if someone walks into a room, and it’s clean, he’ll try to keep it that way.

If it’s already messy, he’ll try to keep it that way.

It’s really an unconscious thing.

So at my bathroom at work, I pick up the paper towels.

And I’m on a mission to clean the entire thing by just spending a few extra seconds in there every time I use it.

I wipe off the soap residue from the sink. I dusted the heating vent a few weeks ago over several days.

Usually, I just use my wet paper towel and wipe something.

If I did this everywhere I go, the world would be much better.

Nicer, neater, cleaner.

And maybe it will sway others to do the same.

I don’t go out of my way to change the world. But if a piece of trash is on my way, I’ll grab it and throw it away.

It’s not hard to do something nice for someone or the world.

I make it a goal to do it everyday. Or try to do it at least. Sometimes, our best intentions don’t work.

On Friday, I tried to cover the last few dollars on an elderly woman’s grocery bill. She couldn’t cover it.

She refused, but I tried.

She said thank you.

I hope that doesn’t come off in the wrong way.

It’s hard to not cross the line of being over-generous or domineering in those situations.

I wanted to help, I wasn’t trying to flaunt my own personal financial success. I just happened to have some cash in my wallet right then. I normally don’t have cash and wouldn’t usually be able to help in times like that.

What about when I leave my own bathroom?

Not really the same thing, and as I write this post, I’m vowing to take better care of my own things.

Maybe I can put the hand towel back the way it’s supposed to be. Maybe I can make sure my tissues are all in the garbage can. Maybe I can wipe off the toothpaste from the sink.

And what about the rest of my apartment? What about my car?

I shouldn’t just be treating the rest of the world with respect. I should be treating my own things that way, too.

So, when I get out of my car tonight after work, I’m going to grab something and put it away. The gloves that are still in my back seat that need to go to Goodwill.

(Speaking of Goodwill, I took a whole storage tub full of stuff there yesterday. It was so nice to get rid of things.)

When I take off my shoes and jacket, I’m going to make sure my clothes hooks are organized.

These things will only take a few extra seconds, yet I’ll have a cleaner place.

And I’m going to keep going with my mission to clean the bathroom at work, and maybe start that same mission with everywhere I go.

The village offices I see weekly.

It’s funny how many bathrooms I’m thinking of right now, haha.

What small thing can you do to make it better? Nicer? Cleaner?

And it doesn’t always have to be cleaning or putting away. It could be bringing flowers to somewhere that needs flowers. Opening a window to somewhere that needs air.

Opening the blinds, finding the remote control or stacking the dishes.

As I write that list, I realize it’s mostly cleaning.

But they aren’t hard things. They aren’t things that take a long time.

Try it. Tell me how it goes.

God Bless.