Walking down the street one day, he was saddened by the faces walking past him. So many dressed in blacks and greys, with foreheads furrowed with worry lines, heads down studying the pavement, consumed with the cares and worries of the world. Grey buildings, grey pavements, dead eyes staring out of unhappy faces. Jeez! This was fun!
If he possessed in that moment, an auto-eject button he would have chosen to exit that scene and re-enter planet earth in a brighter place. Maybe the caribbean or some other treasure, where the colours of the sky and sea were so vibrant and happy. Maybe a steel band would be playing near by and his clothes would be multi-coloured and bright. Instead of a McDonalds, he'd have before his eyes, a plate of brightly coloured fruit.
But they hadn't invented a portable auto-eject button yet, so he made up a game to amuse himself and avoid the creeping feeling of depression that was pervading this street.
He called it "the smiling game". It was maybe a little odd but it kept him amused and it didn't hurt anyone. He continued on his way but this time smiling. A big warm happy, god isn't it great to be alive, sort of grin. The aim of the game was to get as many smiles back as possible. He smiled at every single person he walked past, looking them straight in their eyes.
It was kind of amusing, because many of the people didn't even see him or they looked at him strangely, as if he had just been let out of the nut-house. But regardless of that, he carried on up the street, deliberately smiling at every single person he passed by. A few stared back with blank faces. And then every so often he'd hit a jackpot. A person smiled back at him, a real genuine grateful smile. And he'd feel all warm inside because he knew that even for the briefest of seconds, he'd made the world a little bit brighter for that person and that person had made the world a little bit brighter for him.
It was his secret game and it made him happy. And no-one was any the wiser but maybe they were a little happier.
See saying hello to strangers
But they hadn't invented a portable auto-eject button yet, so he made up a game to amuse himself and avoid the creeping feeling of depression that was pervading this street.
He called it "the smiling game". It was maybe a little odd but it kept him amused and it didn't hurt anyone. He continued on his way but this time smiling. A big warm happy, god isn't it great to be alive, sort of grin. The aim of the game was to get as many smiles back as possible. He smiled at every single person he walked past, looking them straight in their eyes.
It was kind of amusing, because many of the people didn't even see him or they looked at him strangely, as if he had just been let out of the nut-house. But regardless of that, he carried on up the street, deliberately smiling at every single person he passed by. A few stared back with blank faces. And then every so often he'd hit a jackpot. A person smiled back at him, a real genuine grateful smile. And he'd feel all warm inside because he knew that even for the briefest of seconds, he'd made the world a little bit brighter for that person and that person had made the world a little bit brighter for him.
It was his secret game and it made him happy. And no-one was any the wiser but maybe they were a little happier.
See saying hello to strangers
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