DAYMAKER STORIES
These are stories about real Daymakers and what they're doing to make someone elses day. These stories are updated regularly. Be sure to register to receive new stories as they're published.
Hands-on Daymaker
I am a massage therapist. I have the good fortune to work with all kinds of people. They come to me feeling weary, overused and distant. I help them get in touch with themselves physically, which often brings up emotions that are caught up inside them.
Many people cry in my dimly lit room and share stories of heartbreak and courage. These people are all daymakers to someone. Teachers, who deserve more thanks from all of us. Nurses who have it in them to go day after day to a job fraught with emotional peril. Firemen have cried in the peaceful safety of my room of those lost. I have had a nervous bride or groom before their wedding day and a pregnant woman anticipating birth and parenthood. We are all daymakers. People leave me ready to serve others having been refilled themselves. We all need to remember to be thankful for all of our good fortune. Kindness can change a persons life as much as tragedy. So smile, say thank you and help another when you can.
Walk in the light.
Ruth
Grandpa the Daymaker
I gave Life as a Daymaker to my 84-year-old grandfather for Christmas.
He looked at it as though he would probably never read it. In general, he does not show much emotion. A few weeks later my grandmother phoned to tell me that he had read the book and that he really liked it. In fact, he sat down and wrote my grandmother a beautiful poem, something he had never done before. It was a truly touching experience for both of them. My grandmother is 80 and my grandfather is 84. Both had been married and raised families with former spouses and both had lived many years as the caregiver to an ill spouse. If anybody deserves some daymaking it is my grandmother, and her husband does a wonderful job at it, especially since reading Life as a Daymaker.
- Deb
The small things
I gave one of my clients a coupon for a complimentary haircut. She was a sweet and fun woman. Unfortunately her husband had lost his job about a year before they really needed to cut back on unnecessary expenses.
It was around the holidays and I gave her a coupon and told her she could give it as a gift or keep it for herself. She seemed so pleased and thanked me over and over. Three months later she returned, and told me that her husband was still without a job. We had a wonderful conversation about the battle that she and her family face. She talked about how having faith in god is so important because you see that you are never given more than you can handle, and how all of the little things that seem so insignificant turn out to be the most important.
In fact, she and her family had started a book of the many things that they are grateful for. She then told me of how she had added my name to that notebook.
I never knew that one little coupon or gesture of kindness could have so much impact and in turn make me feel so special.
- Stephanie
Daymaker Children
I am a single Mom with two children and want to be a Daymaker everyday for them.
My nine-year-old daughter is my Daymaker.
She will out of the blue ask to rub my shoulders and feet. She will also ask me to relax. At that point I don't need the massage as she has just totally make my day.
David's book emphasizes the small things that we all have lost sight of. I try to do my Daymaking, recognizing the people around me. Always saying hello, whether I know the person or not. Grabbing the door for another person, helping someone with packages, being courteous on the freeway, these are all small gestures but could you imagine if we all did our part in being a "Daymaker"?
This is what I want for my children.
- Jessica
The Daymaker Experience that Changed my Life
It only takes a moment to make someone's day - to become a
daymaker - and sometimes those moments even change lives as I discovered a number
of years ago. I was working in my salon one day when a client came in to have
her hair styled. I was surprised to see her, since it was right in the middle
of her five-week period between hair cuts. I figured that she must have an important
social engagement , so I asked her about her evening plans.
“I don't have anything special going on,” she told me. “I
just want to look and feel good tonight.”
I gave her a great scalp massage, then shampooed and styled her hair. During
our 30 minutes together, we joked and laughed. At the end, she smiled radiantly,
hugging me goodbye.
A few days later when I received a letter from this client, I began to realize
the enormous potential of Daymaking. My client admitted that she had wanted
her hair styled so it would look good for her own funeral. She had planned to
commit suicide that evening. But the wonderful time she had during our appointment
had given her hope that things could get better. She decided to check herself
into the hospital and get professional help. She thanked me for caring, even
though I hadn't known what she was going through. She wrote “thank you
for being there, without knowing that you were.”
I was stunned. I had spent time with this woman about once a month for three
years, yet that day I had no inkling she was so distressed. I was glad to have
made such a difference, yet the experience left me with an enormous sense of
responsibility. What if I had been upset, distracted, or hurried when she came
to see me? That experience made me take stock of myself as a stylist and as
a person. How many of the ten clients I saw every day might be in personal crisis
that I would never know about? Even if it were only one person a day, I might
have no way of knowing who needed some extra attention. I resolved to treat
every person I met like that woman. It might sound like a lot of work, but it
wasn't hard to have fun with my client that day. It was natural and made my
day brighter, too. I vowed to give care and attention to everyone I saw. I figured
it would make their day a little better, and who knows, it might save a life.
I still thank my client for the gift of that letter because it changed my life
as much as my kindness changed hers. When you realize the difference you can
make for others, whether by spending a light-hearted half-hour together, giving
them a smile, or simply holding the door open for them, your whole approach
to life shifts. Why have random acts of kindness when we can have intentional
acts of good will?
- David Wagner