Recently I saw a video of Ellen DeGeneres, starting with a new chapter. The video actually speaks of she announcing the season-18 of the show. Despite being her effortlessly humorous of various things, she also mentioned that people has started pointing her out for she spreading the message for “being kind”. The story behind her believing in this message was so- after a young man named Tyler Clementi who was bullied for being gay and took his own life after that. She has also mentioned beautifully that it’s important to be kind.

The age we are living in is where every single person is busy in his own errands. Everybody is rushing to build the “future” for them. The future where he can live happily and fulfil his “touching the sky dreams”. But may be its simply impossible to build a future (happy future), where people have forgot to be kind at all.

I used to travel a lot during my college days and used to met different people. Local trains are good entertainment as I always say because you meet a hundred of people every day. And by hundreds of people I meant hundred different people every single day. I see everybody living his own life and wrenching on his own worries. Even I am running an Olympics of thoughts, while I am walking on the road. One day I missed my regular train and had to catch a five minute later one.

(one bad thing about local trains is if you are a new face and not that regular person on the particular train you are treated as an alien)

So, I got on this train and I was sitting on a window seat all gazing out side. There comes a boss lady who claims that it’s her seat and a completely new person cannot seat there. More than anything I started looking at her cluelessly and had a clear question mark on my face. The lady started questioning my face and simple asked “what are you looking at? Just get up so I can settle”. Everybody around knew her so they were kind of agreeing to the fact that I should get up.

Except the old lady who came a little late was trying to address the situation, while she was settling beside me. I started to explain her that “has she written her name on this seat or she has paid some extra for the ticket for the window seat?”. (surprisingly I can be sarcastic too sometimes!!). The lady simply started laughing at our situation and passed a comment on the boss lady- “don’t you work as a manager in a company and has some bunch of people working under your guidance?” the boss lady wasn’t able to guess the thing she was trying to prove. She then added “then why are you fighting like a child for this seat as if there’s no window seat in the train?” (me chuckling at the side).

The lady settled on the other seat was starring us hardly as if she is going to bang our heads back. The old lady simply said “don’t worry just smile her back. She will not be going to value your smile now but later whenever she is seeing this window seat, she will remember you as a girl who messed with me but with a smiling face”.

That old lady simply made my day and I could clearly remember her face. She thought me that even if we are addressing a stranger its important to have a smiling face. A smile would never cost anything or do any loss.

Many people find it hard to say sorry or thank you to the stranger. A simple thank you or sorry are not just connotations but also gives a reflection as a person you are. Saying simple thank you to the shopkeeper helping you and providing you with your needs, see only going to make you a good person and also a flashy smile on his face. (also, the shopkeeper remembers you and sometimes offer you a good discount!!!)

Saying sorry when you mistakenly stamp on someone’s foot is only going to reduce the chances of you getting hit on your face. (specially works with the person like boss lady). These words are underrated but the most powerful ones. Even the act of kindness would never cost you anything. Helping other or smiling can only increase the chances of you getting helped or smiled back. Yes, sometimes it gets awkward when you smile at a person and that person simply declare you an idiot smiling for no reason.

I have seen a lot of people who knew me back then and doesn’t have any contact with me, taking me, a complete stranger and it costs like a $100 to smile back. Honestly then it cost me too to smile again the next time. But still there’s a thought that runs through, at least the person has seen my smiling face and not a frowning face as his.

We need some kindness in this time or may be more in future. We need a kind heart to heal others and ourself through tough times. If you ever have a person in your life who is kind to you, be extra kind to them. The person would indeed remember you for a good reason.

Also being kind doesn’t mean let people fool you and let them dominate you. Stay kind to the people who simply you think would deserve your kindness. Never let them exploit them. Because it’s really an extra need in these ages to be alert of others intentions. Being the other person rude to you doesn’t mean that its mandatory to show your bitch face by frowning at them. You know as the smile expresses your happiness; it also a good tool for expressing the sarcastic side.

Better be a kind one for your own self. This everything is only going to do wonders to your life. Trust me. Yes, it’s going to be hard sometimes to be kind to a non-deserving person but then you need to choose the way you want to address them and just move on with a big fat smile!!

Toodles!!!! Keep smiling!!