positivity

this morning i was inspired by the lady at bathurst subway station who hands out the free daily newspaper.  as i approached her in the freezing rain, just as every time i've seen her before, she had a big smile on her face.


good morning! i exclaimed, i hoped to meet her smile with equal enthusiasm
good morning - hope you're having a good day! she says
no umbrella? 
no but i'll be going home soon. in 2 hours.


2 hours did not seem soon to me.  i was worried she'd be soaked.  we continued small talk for a little while.  a car pulled up and she ran over and brought the man 2 of the free daily papers before he drove off.  that's so nice of you. i said.  she didn't seem to mind.  the smile never left her face.  i told her i wished i could be more like her, i can't really explain in words how much sincere positivity this woman projects.  i told her i don't know how you do it. to which she replied i'm no eeyore.

it took me a minute to figure out what she was talking about, but when i did i smiled.  you certainly aren't.  i thanked her and as i descended the steps to the platform i noticed the smile hadn't left my face.  how infectious a bit of positivity can be!  the feeling carried with me throughout the day.  and when the everyday turbulence hit i remembered to keep a smile on my face.

it's not like it is particularly difficult to be positive.  but it doesn't appear to come naturally.  it's something to work on.  but what a difference it makes.

spontaneity

i had a post prepared today to commemorate mitch hedburg.  he passed away 6 years ago today.  but instead i want to share this beautiful quote with you:

photo from this flickr page
quote from hafiz or hafez

i thought it was such a beautiful way of thinking about love and life.  i feel like people in western society have such a great sense of entitlement.  and the reason for this is unknown to me.  it reminded that an entitled point of view can perpetuate negativity in life.  that everything doesn't have to be give and take, sometimes it can just be give.  it reminded me that life isn't all about the day to day and to think of the bigger picture.  the things to be grateful for, like the sun  ... which luckily was shining today.  and the snow is slowly melting and you can almost feel spring in the air.

and i finally have another tale from the ttc.  i was sitting on the bus on my way home today when a young boy (around 3) shouted out aye aye aye and a young girl (around 4) shouted back in a slightly higher pitch: aye aye aye, from the back of the bus.  they were total strangers, and she was completely unprompted.  he went again: ooh ooh ooh  and she called back in her voice: ooh ooh ooh.  they continued exchanging sounds for almost a minute.  she said we're talking dad.  it was evident that these children knew how to speak, but embraced the simplicity of the sounds they could make and the interaction.  and in turn the entire bus was giggling.  it was pretty special.

sam cooke

sam cooke, what a talented man.  i read recently on the exclaim website that there is a sam cooke biopic being made.  isn't it tragic that he was only 33 when he was shot and killed?  there has been a lot of controversy surrounding his death.  i think he struggled with alcohol addiction and maybe drugs, i guess i'll learn more about that when the movie comes out.  or in one of the 3 biographies written about his life...  my main interest in him comes from my love of his music.  he soulful and smooth voice is like no one else.