Inside a Chocolate Wrapper

I really got hooked to this one when I read it inside the wrapper of a chocolate I had the other day. It goes like this:

“Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, bring your own sunshine.”

After reading this, the first question that I asked myself was:

What do I bring with me when I go somewhere or meet someone? The instant answer was "my mood." Seriously, as hard as I may try, I am what my mood is at that particular time. I pour all my joy out through my words when I am happy, and trust me, I am not really great to be around when I am in a bad mood. But that is not a great idea because that makes many beautiful opportunities of fun and success pass by me.

“Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, bring your own sunshine!”

I have run this over and over again in my mind to figure this out.

The other day, I read a blog about a lady who works at the front desk of a hotel on the night shift. She says that she always makes sure that she greets the guests with a friendly smile and offers them a hot cup of coffee by the desk. She says she realizes that she is the first person many of the guests are meeting in the day, so she makes sure to spread her sunshine by being welcoming and friendly to make their day better.

About smiling..."While leaving for the day, never forget to wear a smile on your face." I have heard this so many times. It didn’t make much sense to me when I was a kid. “Wear a smile...” what is THAT all about? But when I grew up, I realized how important it is to start the day with a smile and wear it as much as you can through the day, because wholesome happiness entails not just one’s own happiness, but how much one shares it with others. And what better way than a smile! And now I try to wear my smile much more often.

Some time back, I also read a real story about spreading joy. It talked about how you find real joy when you actually spread it around. For that, a lady had decided to hand out flowers to random people walking on the road and wishing them a great day.

So I understand that we all have something to share with this world. All of us are special in the sense that we all have an amazing ability and that is the ability to share.

We can share that smile, that hug, or maybe that story…

I will tell you something about myself: “I hate going to gatherings unless they are small with a few close friends. Because otherwise, often there are so many people you don’t know and end up being bored. Well you go to such parties 'anyway' because you want to be there for your friends (who would be busy hosting!). Well, just this past weekend, I went to a friend’s baby shower. It was the same. Many people were mere acquaintances. Some I was seeing for the first time, but this time I thought to do my bit. I gave everyone a big smile, talked to the people when I met them. When I shared my stories, they had their own to tell. When I smiled at them, they smiled back bigger at me. Seriously, I was so surprised how an evening that could have been so dull for me turned out to be so interesting. Just because, for once, I had decided to do my bit, keeping aside my notions.

Sometimes we think smiling at that stranger won’t make any difference to her, so why bother. But think about when, at three in the afternoon, you head to your usual coffee shop lost in your work, fighting your afternoon drowsiness…doesn’t it make a difference to you when the person at the counter smiles and asks, “Hello sir, how is you day going? What can I get for you today?” Well you are already getting your coffee that you paid for, but that small little talk…doesn’t it add a little warmth in your coffee? And what happens when you are riding the elevator totally stressed out and even at the end of the day someone cares to say: "Well I really like that coat you are wearing" and smiles. Maybe it would lift your mood just for a few minutes but don’t a bunch of such few minutes make your whole day?

Another story I read recently: A writer was walking along a sandy beach where thousands of starfish had washed up on the shore. He noticed a boy picking up the starfish one by one and throwing them back into the ocean. He observed him for some time, then reached out to him and asked what he was doing? The boy said that he was returning the starfish back to the ocean or else they would die. He asked the boy "how saving a few when thousands of them were doomed would make a difference whatsoever.” The boy picked another starfish and, while throwing it back in the ocean said, "It is going to make a lot of difference to this one.” The writer went back home to continue writing but couldn’t be there long before he came back to the shore and helped the boy in putting starfish back to the ocean for the rest of his day.

That’s right. However small it may be, every one of us can make a difference by doing our bit.

I have decided to do my bit.

While leaving for work in the morning, I check my bag to see that I have everything that I would need for the day. I am now going to make sure that I carry my own sunshine and bring it with me, to remind myself daily that there is a bigger, better purpose to my day than just my chores or the office work or meetings. I have decided to make my world more beautiful and bright by bringing my own sunshine to it. I encourage you to do the same, and I am sure we will discover things and happiness that we never knew about.