No good deed...

I’ve been pondering some of the complexities of life lately. Of course, it doesn’t take some great world marvel to be considered a “complexity” to me. Figuring out why on earth the grass feels wet even when the sun has been shining on it all day, wondering why humans don’t pant like dogs when they are out in the heat, wondering why flies always seem so attracted to horses, and not knowing why it is that people are so willing to tell bold-faced lies. I’ll probably never understand these things, and that is ok with me. However, I’ve been contemplating another of life’s complexities lately: why do the little things in life seem to go wholly unappreciated and unnoticed. Even more so- how is it that good intentions can sometimes go so completely astray? I know that I, as well as a few other people I know- have recently been feeling a bit like Elphaba from the musical “Wicked.” Sometimes it seems that at the end of the day after all of our good intentions are spent; we still end up thinking like Elphaba.

“My road of good intentions led where such roads always lead! No good deed goes unpunished….”

It can really become discouraging when you become convinced that the things you try to do towards good never work out. When the compliment you give is thrown back in your face as being a lie, when you find out the person you took ice cream to actually isn't able to eat the ice cream, when you tell a friend you will pick them up at a certain time but then you get lost on the way there, or when you try to do someone a huge favor but it all goes wrong. These are all things that can leave you feeling worse than if you had never tried to do something nice at all.
So time after time we try to do helpful and kind things that all end up going all wrong and therefore do no one any good at all. So why do good things at all? Why continue trying when it all ends in heartache and tears? (Ok, not literally- but still.) I haven’t a clue. Sometimes it makes me want to make a declaration like my friend Elphaba:

No good deed goes unpunished! All helpful urges should be circumvented! No good deed goes unpunished. Sure, I meant well - well, look at what well meant did…”

But then, just when you are ready to give up doing anything for another person, you strike gold. When you are ready to accept that all of your attempts at doing good things are completely useless- you actually do something that makes a difference to someone.
I work in customer service. Yesterday at work I noticed that a co-worker of mine was having a hard day. When she was approached by an angry customer (who I could tell was on the verge of a rant), I decided to step in and had the customer come talk to me instead. I listened patiently while the customer vented their frustrations and then effectively made them feel horrible for their words by being sugary sweet. This wasn’t even something that I had considered to be significant at all- I’m used to getting yelled at in my line of work. However, a bit later my co-worker approached me and told me how grateful they were for that act of kindness. She said that she felt sure that she would have broken down in tears at that point. Awww! One of my good deeds worked out. Maybe I’ll continue trying to do good deeds instead of completely giving up. But I sure can understand Elphaba’s reasoning.