Last week, I had to take my car to the garage for a check. Since the car needed to stay there all day, I decided to walk back home. That walk turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It gave me the opportunity to notice things I had overlooked countless times while driving.
I exchanged smiles with strangers, read advertisements along the way, and even discovered a lovely community café. One advertisement struck me deeply in that community cafe: “Be the reason for someone else’s smile.” It was a powerful reminder of how much joy can come from simple gestures.
This experience taught me that slowing down and changing our pace can help us see life differently. The same road I drove many times had treasures I never noticed because I was focused on the task of driving. Similarly, at the end of a busy year, many of us might realise how much we missed because we were too caught up in our routines.
This lesson reminds me of a story from Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. A shopkeeper sent his son to learn the secret of happiness from the wisest man in the world. After forty days of travelling, the boy reached a beautiful castle high on a mountain where the wise man lived.
The wise man handed the boy a teaspoon with two drops of oil in it. He told the boy to explore the castle without spilling the oil.
The boy carefully walked around, focusing only on the spoon. When he returned, the wise man asked if he noticed the beautiful tapestries, gardens, and library. The boy admitted he had seen nothing because he was too focused on the spoon.
The wise man sent him back to explore again, this time asking him to observe everything. The boy marvelled at the beauty of the palace, but when he returned, he realised he had spilt the oil.
The wise man then shared the lesson: “The secret of happiness is to see the beauty of the world while still caring for the drops of oil in the spoon.”
Let us keep this lesson for the new year.
Prayer:
Gracious God, thank you for the gift of life and the beauty that surrounds us. Help us to slow down and notice your wonders, even in the ordinary. Teach us to balance our responsibilities with the joy of living fully, offering kindness and sharing smiles wherever we go. Amen.