After I got dressed yesterday, getting set to head downtown to get my Christmas-shopping sorted out, my good friend and neighbour-lady rang my doorbell. She’d been out for a jog earlier, and had lost her house key. It was the FIRST time she’d ever bothered to take it off her key ring, and she dropped the lone thing somewhere… and of course, all the doors and windows were firmly shut at her house. Could she come in to use the phone to call her husband? Of course… stay all day, if you need. We just hoped he wasn’t performing a surgery, and could come home to let her in…
Indeed he could come home to avail her, and so she left my house to retrace her steps for a bit before waiting for him. I pressed on with my day.
When I finally did leave my house, with gigantic sunglasses on, and with Jack in my ears, making myself invisible, I walked up my street on an overcast morning, and within a few steps, decided to remove my dark glasses – and just as I tucked then into my adorable handbag, I looked down and saw a gold key, shining on the silvery-grey sidewalk. What are the odds, I wondered… I walked back down my street to my neighbour’s house, thinking she’d still be out retracing her steps, and decided to just leave it at her doorstep, on top of one of my business cards, so she’d know it was from me.
And it was her key after all. What a lucky thing! Magical, even!
A few blocks from home, still without my sunglasses on, I suddenly looked to the left, and spied a ten dollar bill just lying on the ground. Well now!! I tucked it into my pocket and walked on, buoyant about found money, as a person usually is when they find some. Lucky, lucky day!!
But a block or two later, I ran into a neighbourhood-guy-on-the-corner begging for change. He’s been hanging out there since the beginning of the fall, I think – I see him all the time. He’s older, and hunched at the shoulders, with a very broad face, and a nice smile. I mean, really nice. His teeth are super white and very even. During the US election time, it finally dawned on me that the guy reminds me of Joe Biden. Killer smile that comes easily. He always bids me a good morning when I pass him by, but I’ve never given him any money. Yesterday, I pressed ten bucks into his palm. Easy come, easy go… He tipped his hat in thanks, and gave me an extra-broad killer smile. I gave him one right back.
You never know how people come to end up how they are. There but for the grace of God… I am so very fortunate. You’ve got to pass it on, when you can.
Shortly afterward, on the platform of the metro, I noticed a young woman waiting, as I was… only she was very fidgety. She was smoothing her clothes, over and over again, taking deep breaths, and looking up to the ceiling, as if she reciting something in her head, and was willing herself to calm down. She had a portfolio-style bag in one hand. She looked nervous. Pre-interview nervous, I thought.
I couldn’t help but glance over her, for all the petting and fawning she was doing to herself, and noticed that at her left ankle, her hose was completely twisted right around. It looked like a whispy black anklet. It was clearly an oversight.
There weren’t many people in the metro at 11-something AM, so I walked nearer, and smiled at her. She looked a bit alarmed that I was suddenly so close. I moved one of my gigantic earphones back, and said, “Your pantyhose…” I pointed to show her, and made a swirling motion with my index finger to indicate the twist.
She looked down, and looked up again, and her mouth flew open in horror. “OhmygodTHANKYOUsoMUCH!” Her eyes were round and appreciative, and she held onto one of my arms while she kicked her shoe off, and turned her hose the right way around. I steadied her, and just waited. She smoothed her skirt again. And her jacket. And her hair.
When you see a lady leave a washroom with toilet paper stuck to the bottom of her shoe, or with her skirt tucked into the back of her pantyhose, or with a shirt button mis-buttoned, you really must say something. It’s the right thing to do. Wouldn’t you want someone to tell you? So.
She smiled in thanks, and said something about it being a big day for her. “Don’t panic, you look very nice,” I said, smiling back, stepping away.
“You’re a good person,” she said. I shrugged and settled my earphones back on my ear, and wandered down the platform. It was nothing, really. When I stopped, I looked down, and found a penny. A shiny new penny, minted this year. Lucky day, I say.
I made a point of smiling at people all day – one needs to shake the funk off, in an intentional way sometimes. It’s a good thing. It’s Christmas, you know.
It was on the way home again, while on the metro, an older man sitting across from me who I’d at first dismissed as ogling me, got up from his seat and approached me. I moved one of my earphones back again, and said, “Hello…?”
He said, “I see you around town sometimes… you’re always smiling, and it’s such a pleasure to see. It’s incredible! You radiate, you know… you’re shiny. Like a new penny.”
Ho. Lee. Balls.
I flashed him a mega-watt variety, and reached into my pocket to fetch my penny. “You mean, like this?” I held it up between us, and then dropped it into his palm. “A gift… I found it just today. And thank you for the compliment, you nice man.” I may have batted my eyelashes at him a little.
“You are more than welcome, my Lovely.” I rose to get off the train, and he let me pass, bowing in a comical, exaggerated kind of way.
I skipped all the way home.
What a great change it was yesterday, to instead be the unicorn, rather than the whipping post… it’s amazing what gets noticed if you just open your eyes – there’s magic everywhere. The trick is to keep giving it away, I think.
Go and make some… tis the season and whatnot. Be the best version of yourself as you can be, and be as generous as possible – even if all you’ve got to give are smiles. They’re good for the world, I swear.
That’s an order, you muthers. *snort* And don’t forget to jingle all the way…
That’s strange, Heather… no, you’re not bad! (Anyway, I prefer my friends to be a bit naughty. Heh.)
Thanks so much for reading! And indeed, keep your eyes open for ALL the magic. It’s out there… pass it on… 🙂
I commented before, but it must not have been approved. {Was I bad?}
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Thanks, Sylvana! Happy Holidays!!
I think we DO need a t-shirt!! “Be the UNICORN you want to see in the world” on the front, and, “Spread the magic, you muthers” on the back. That would be rad as hell. 😉
it was a pleasure to read this. thanks for sharing something so simple yet incredibly wonderful to read.
Nice! Giving it away..passing it forward…and it’s such an easy thing to do and feels so good! What goes around comes around. Always. Spread the magic (I think we need a T-shirt) 😉
xx
You’re a gem too, Kath – let’s hope we all have more lovely days… spread the magic, you know? xox
Thank YOU for reading, Annabelle! Glad you enjoyed it!!
What a cool thing to say, Julie – thank you!! xox
Tracey, you are a gem of a lady, you know that? I’ve been thinking about you lots lately, mourning for your loss. Glad to see you had the lovely day you so deserve. Here’s wishing you many more of them. xo
Such a beautiful and timely story. So simple to spread joy in small ways. Thank you. Your reach of goodness is quite far.
YOU should be a standard course in every school in north america. tracey 101 perhaps…
That makes me so glad, Kimmyz – thank you!!
I know FOR SURE we’d get along, Alice – one day, my dear. One day. 🙂
Thanks, Edith. I think you’re fucking awesome, too… xox
Thank you. This WAS an ABSOLUTE pleasure to read. I’m going to share.
I love this SO. HARD. This is exactly why I know we’d get along. I want this playing in my head all day, every day.
HOLY CRAP! You know you have things you find on the internet that you print out and keep on your bulletin board and read all the time? This is my new one. Thank you lovely lovely woman. Can I swear? Fuck you’re awesome.
I love days like those… it was a good day. 🙂
It really is the truest thing – people don’t even know how much a genuine smile can affect them until they get one – it’s a wonderful thing. And they’re free to give! Awesome, Aileen…!!
Takes one to know one, Lovely Idas… xox
Love this! What a wonderful day for a special lady!
Amazing isn’t it? Just today I was telling my family how I did an experiment at the mall the other day. The more harassed and harried a person looked, the wider I smiled at them, held the door, let them pass, or whatever. Amazing the smiles I got in return. Such a small thing, yet such a big thing.
Beautiful. Like in the many, many ways that you are.
xooooo