Anecdote: Smile and the World Smiles with You

So last weekend I took the day off and went to Ithaca, NY to visit with my wonderful college roommate and to go to a Janelle Monae concert. After three months of working working working, running Grad Student Association events in the evening, attending class and falling behind in the reading, and somehow applying to, getting, and getting used to a new job and revising my academic/life plans in between, I was so excited to be just saying "hang it all! I'm taking the day off. I'm not going to think about anything but having a good time for the next 24 hours."

I mean I was really really really excited. 5-year old waiting for Santa on Christmas eve excited.

The morning I was leaving I got up and seriously could not get the smile off my face. I was grinning ear to ear like the Cheshire cat. My dad even asked what was wrong with me at one point. But nothing was bringing me down that morning!

Eventually I got on my way. The last thing I had to do before I officially headed toward upstate NY was fill up the gas tank. I pulled into the gas station, whistling "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" because it was the only way I could stop myself from singing it and weirding out everyone.

A scruffy older gas station attendant came up to the car and for some reason said:

"Bonjour! Comment ca va?"

I got really excited (yes even more) because I never get to speak french with anyone. Somewhere in the back of my mind I wondered why he had decided to speak french to me, but when it came down to it, who cared? It was cool and fun and oh wasn't this the best time I've ever had at the gas station.

Just about brimming over with enthusiasm I just grinned even more and burst out:

"BIEN!!!!!!!!"

This time he was a bit surprised but carried on the conversation:

Attendant: "Ahhh! Parlez-vous francais?"
Me: "Mais oui! Un peu. Un peu."
Both: "Oh hahahahhahaha!"

Eventually we got around to the business of filling up the gas tank and parted company with a "Bonne journée!" and a "Merci bien!" (which is apparently a but old fashioned but I like the expression).

I don't know what the whole episode was all about but it sure made my day! It was one of the best random encounters I have ever experienced. Perhaps the gas station attendant was merely so friendly because I was in such an outrageously cheerful mood, especially for 9am on a Saturday morning. But I like to think that magic of the moment was because we were both in a gloriously, unjustifiably, stupendously bright mood. Together we just made the world overflow with happiness!

They say, smile and the world smiles with you--- but if you smile and the world smiles back, well, that's even better!