Happy People are Beautiful People
I have encountered many influential people throughout my young life. Friends, family, authors, speakers, and even cartoon characters have shaped my outlook on life and created the lens in which I view the world around me. Phrases and words of advise stick with me like moons orbiting a planet. I feel empowered by others’ words; a sense of belonging and comfort. Now, I realize I’m making it seem like I am constantly surrounded by incredibly positive people, and that’s not the case. Even those insufferable people (we all know who they are) can stir an emotion within me, provoking me to think critically about how to interpret their lexicon within my own. Sometimes its just simple acts of kindness that makes me re-evaluate my thought process and gives me the internal drive to tread the world with a lighter foot and bigger smile. For example, an hour ago I was eating lunch in the social lounge of the building I work in. I had discovered this lounge the other day, tucked back in a corner on the second floor by some offices I don’t usually frequent. I normally eat outside (weather permitting) but it’s a real scorcher out there today, high of 91 with little to no cloud coverage. So I ventured up to the lounge where there was only one other person occupying the area. He was a middle eastern man and looked up as soon as I walked in. Semi-ashamed of my $5.00 taco bell value box, I sat at the furthest table from the man. With 5 tables between us, the man begins to speak.
“Do you like spicy food by chance?” He asks in light accent.
I look over and see him eating from a large Tupperware container, he was tearing off pieces of a large tortilla-looking-bread and dipping it into the container.
“Yes, I love spicy food!” I exclaimed, overly excited because I knew where this conversation was heading. He offers me some of his food, pulling out a fresh piece of the tortilla-bread, it looked almost like naan, but thinner. He told me his wife had made the food and it was in traditional Pakistani style. It was not as spicy as an Indian dish, but with much better flavors -he insisted. It was delicious and he offered me as much as I wanted! The dish was a concoction of potatoes and chicken cooked down in spices and sauces. As I used the bread to pick up some of mixture and told him I was sorry that the only thing I had to offer him was a taco from Taco Bell. He laughed and we chatted for a few minutes before he packed up his leftovers and headed back to the demands of his job.
The sharing of this man’s culture warmed me, and it wasn’t just from the spice of the chicken, I really felt an overwhelmingly good feeling from the interaction. I’m still smiling from the 20 minutes I spent with this stranger. I wanted to share that experience and some words that have been shared with me that inspire me to live a full life.
“One can not do everything at once, but one can do something at once.”
“Do not settle for short term thrills, invest in long term happiness.”
“True love is the greatest success.”
“Helping one person might not change the world, but it could change the world for that one person.”
“Think twice before you speak, once for content, once for delivery.”
“Whenever you start to feel comfortable, that’s when you need to challenge yourself. Growth will flourish within the struggle.”
“Don’t wait for the perfect moment, take the moment and make it perfect.”
“There are leaders, and then there are those who lead.”
“It doesn’t matter what you believe in, just believe in it!”
“It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
“Happy people are beautiful people.”
I could continue on endlessly but I am sure most of these can be found by doing a quick google image search for “inspirational quotes”. I know it can be cheesy, but sometime you just need some feel-good words. But, remember to pay it forward with the next soul you see as they may be needing some feel-good words as well. Or share some of your Pakistani food, a favorite song, or lend someone a beloved book. Whatever you do, however you do it, do it with kindness.
