Agood - BART Experience

There are enough bad things going on in the world right now. You've read about them, you might have even blogged about them. I want to do something about it. It is time to try infecting the world with a meme of my own creation. I am going to start a couple new words today that might help to that end.

My two words are (And I want comments about this so we can decide which works better)

1) Agood - n; a·good
An experience that stands out as better than average, usually due to the considerate behavior of another person. "I had an agood today, when the cashier called me back because I had forgotten my change."

2) Tnar - n; t·när
A written account of a positive experience. The opposite of a rant.

Tnar - v; t·när
To write an account of a positive experience "I am going to tnar about this great service when I get home."

Hopefully this gives you an idea of what I am trying for here. If you have a better or more precise definition, or can write a better example sentence, leave me a message.

My idea is that by focusing on just how many _positive_ experiences we have on a regular basis, three things will happen:

1. We will notice that, by the percentages, we actually live in a better world than the news and other old medias would have us believe.


2. By consciously being alert to the agoods that happen to us, with the goal of being able to influence the world by tnarring about them, we will actually notice that more of them happen to us than we think.


3. A positive feedback loop will happen that leads you right back to number 1.

I also believe that by posting your tnars on a blog, or just making a point to tell another person about this concept with a concrete example from your personal experience, you might be able to start the positive feedback loop in another person.

I have posted this article to Del.icio.us with the tags "tnar" and "agood" and will do the same with Technorati when I get that going. Do the same and help spread the words!

So now, I am going to tnar about my most recent agood. :)
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I know that most of you have had a bad experience at one time or another on BART, the Bay Area Rapid Transit system in the San Francisco Bay Area. Missed a train? Train delays? Train too full to get on? You get the idea. These things are going to happen on almost any subway system you try. Today was different.

I was on my way home from downtown San Francisco (I live in Oakland) after doing a little Father's day shopping, and was a little loaded down with bags. I was walking quickly down the escalator, and as I neared the bottom, I saw a train going in my direction, with the doors open. I sped up as best I could, but just as I got to the doors, they closed in my face. Sound familiar? Well, here is where it becomes an agood.

"Sir!"

"Huh?"

"Down here!"

I see the conductor (pilot? driver?) hanging out of the window at the front of the train. Waving at me! I hoof it a car and a half towards him, and as I approach the lead car, its doors OPEN again! Wave a big "Thank You", hop on the train, and away I go!

Now, this wasn't a busy afternoon, nor was the train full, but one conductor for BART at least is really watching out for his passengers. If this ever finds its way to that conductor (Powell St. BART, Eastbound, about 3:15PM, 6/17/06) I want to say Thank You from one slightly less disillusioned human being, who has just that much more respect in mankind.