The Good Karma Boulevard

It’s already September!  I am writing from my desk at Ocean Shores.  It is a fine day, skies are clear, windows are open, and the rush of the ocean waves fills the room with energy.  A slight breeze is playing with the tree tops, the swaying movement visible from my desk-perch.

It is Labor Day weekend, a day to honor working people.  I love this holiday, the rest it provides, and the respect it brings to those who labor seemingly endlessly.

A day to write!

Earlier today, I was looking at my calendar and noticed that there is a World Kindness Day on November 13.  Just knowing such a day exists gives me a surge of joy. I already had in mind to write about kindness. Seeing an actual day devoted to kindness was a reminder to write this post today.

There is a Japanese proverb that goes like this:

One kind word can warm three winter months.

How I love that succinct line! The proverb reminds me of something my Sicilian friend Giorgio said to me.  Before going to Sicily earlier this year, I heard about a well-known Sicilian cafe that has gotten much attention in the media.  The place is known for its gelato and cannoli. I will not mention the name of the place, but suffice to say I told Giorgio that my group and I had to stop at this cafe to taste the best of what Sicily offers. We went there and the gelato and cannoli did not disappoint us at all.  Perhaps the best cannoli I’ve ever had in Sicily was right there.  However, even though I had called and chatted with the owner before going there (because who wants a group of tourists to suddenly appear when you are not ready for them?), we were not greeted in the charming Sicilian way, not welcomed with a gentle smile or a booming BENVENUTI (welcome).  Instead, one of the owners took our orders, without a simple buongiorno or a kind greeting, and the staff filled our orders and worked the till.  We enjoyed our desserts, but as we were leaving, Giorgio called me aside and said emphatically, “You will never go back there. I won’t let you.  They were not kind and that is not the Sicilian way.”  I found myself making excuses for the cafe owner and staff. I argued that I would go back because the desserts were the best and that I understood the family and staff were busy and overworked.  But Giorgio stopped me in my tracks by saying with grand emotion, “Yes, busy, overworked, and yes, perhaps tired, but Francesca, what is the cost of a smile?”

Wow!  Since that day, I often hear Giorgio asking me this question. One smile or one kind word can go a long ways in changing the world around us.

And then I watched a documentary on Mr. Rogers. Welcome to the Neighborhood. If you have not seen it yet, it is a must see! Fred Rogers was a gentle, kind soul providing powerful messages about his vision of kindness and love.  Through his children’s television program, he talked to kids about divorce, assassination and death, and overcoming racism among other topics.  He believed love is at the root of everything.  His great message was that all people should be loved and are capable of loving.

And yes, I will go back to the best gelato and cannoli place in Sicily.  I will make more of an effort to pour love into that place so as to elicit a smile or two from the hard workers who are making the best gelato and cannoli in the world!

The title of this blog entry came from my friend Jeri, inspired by this photo: