Mr. Nilgood's little lies

Once upon a time, there was a man who always lied. Now I'm not talking about big old whopper lies, like telling someone you climbed Mount Everest in under 3 hours with no gear whatsoever, I'm just talking about little lies, like "That dress looks great on you, darling" or "I'm late getting home because I was in a meeting" (when the real reason is that he was surfing the internet reading jokes and lost track of time).
So what happens to a man who lies all the time? Well, eventually people stop believing him when he talks. And that's exactly what happened to Mr. Nillgood.
Mr. Nillgood was a kind and decent man, most of the time. He went to work, paid his taxes, drove on the correct side of the road, and that kind of stuff. He never meant to hurt people or rub people the wrong way. He tried to e everyone's friend and wanted people to like him. Problem is, he often lied so that people would like him. He didn't understand that he had many redeeming qualities and that those traits about him that weren't so great weren't enough to make people dislike him completely. He didn't see that people would want to be his friends even if he was completely honest all of the time. He failed to grasp that if he didn't like himself, he could do something about that, but that his self worth did not need to hang in the balance and be based on how others felt about him.
He started this habit of telling little lies to others a long time ago and didn't see how destructive of a behavior pattern it was so he just continued to tell the little lies when he mistakenly thought that people wouldn't like him if he told the truth. He told people little lies when he didn't want to go to dinner or to a party and said he had other plans instead or wasn't feeling well. He told little lies when he had fallen asleep and didn't finish his work on time. He told little lies about how he felt, what he was doing, why he did something or any old time he just knew in his heart that he would lose the affections or respect of someone if they knew the true answer. It was almost like he was afraid people would know he wasn't perfect.
Of course, we all know that people aren't perfect. In fact, it is our imperfections that make us not only unique, but very often, are the most beautiful things about us. Knowing we are all imperfect is also a way we can really connect with each other because with that knowledge comes an acceptance of not only the mistakes of others, but also of the misshaps we have ourselves.
Mr Nillgood soon began to realize that people suspected he was not always telling the truth and yet because he was in such a habit of lying, he continued to do so as often as he felt necessary. No matter how many times he told himself that he would be truthful the next time he had the chance, he always chose to tell a little lie if he was afraid someone wouldn't like him if they knew the truth.
This went on for most of Mr. Nillgood's life and one day, when he was a very old man, he looked around and saw that he was alone. He was not surrounded by a circle of friends or family, like most of the people he knew. Instead, when he couldn't do much more than sit around feeling sorry for himself, he was alone in his home, feeling sorry for himself without the support or love or encouragement that most other people have all of the time.
Realizing all of this, Mr. Nillgood began to cry. He cried very hard, for a very long time. He cried so hard and so long that his stomach ached and his head hurt. His face was red and his eyes were raw. He looked in the mirror and knew that no one would like his face, but more importantly, he knew that because of the little lies he had told all of his life, he knew that no one liked his heart.
Suddenly, something changed inside of him. He looked in the mirror again and saw a light shining from his chest. It wasn't a real light, but it was there, in his mind's eye view. He felt love in his heart for himself for the first time in his life. He knew that if he let this love for himself grow, he could also love others and be loved in return.
He went to everyone he could find that he lied to over the years and apologized. He told them he finally understood that in trying to get people to like him, by not letting them see the real him, he had actually pushed people away and made sure they would not like him. Some of the people he talked to did not understand. They too had anger and bitterness in their hearts and couldn't accept that Mr. Nillgood had finally changed. Most of the people, however, welcomed Mr. Nillgood with a hug and accepted his apology and the changes he had made. They saw the light within him also. These people were those who also had the light within themselves.
From that day forward, Mr. Nillgood always told the truth, His circle of friends grew as did his love for himself and his love for others. He accepted the mistakes he made and forgave the mistakes of others. He finally understood unconditional love and when he died, several years later, he was surrounded by a huge group of people who loved him and who sent him on to that heavenly place with peace in their hearts.

A introduction

Stories just because is going to be a collection of stories, some for kids, some for adults, some just for my own enjoyment, that I feel like writing "just because". I don't know what the topics will be until I decide to write something. I'm simply trying to get my creative writing juices flowing again and thought a series of stories would help in that process.
So off I go. Please feel free to comment on the stories if you like them or don't like them or have ideas for improvement, etc. Not asking for professional critiques (though you're welcome to offer them if you have any), but I'll take any suggestions or direction to increase my skill level at writing.
Thanks and I hope you enjoy!!!