September 20, 2012 at 6:27 am, by Carl

Life can seem bleak at times, especially for someone like myself who is more of a “glass half-empty” kind of person.  Of course, folks like me will say that we are being realistic, not trying to put more spin on a situation than need be.  However, whether half-empty or half-full, your glass is there before you, waiting on you, and if your setting is not as positive or good as you would wish, what could be waiting is for you to be the person who spreads a little happiness around

 

My 1940s Coke Machine

 

Some of my faithful readers know that I am a huge Coke fan.   I’ve had my own Coke machine since it was given to me at the passing of my grandfather.  He used to work with the Southern Railroad, and in some of his stops, had gotten the machine from a General Store owner who was getting rid of it. This was before everyone owned their own refrigerator, so my grandfather wanted a way to keep his own Cokes cold, and probably a few other drinks,

 

Coca-cola has created some of the most memorable ads and PR campaigns, and if we were together, we could probably start singing various songs of theirs. They have recently added a marketing concept that Coke helps “spread happiness.”   While this can be seen in a variety of ads or marketing info, the best examples of spreading happiness have come through some unique guerrilla-marketing, flashmob-esque efforts of theirs.

 

Check out this attack of happiness on a College Campus:

 

 

Fast Company recently put me on to another innovative spreading of happiness by Coke, this time in Italy. Check it out, especially for the “kind and sweet” feeling it gives you. Having spent 2 weeks in Italy (not nearly long enough) taking a group of College students, I can affirm that the people of Italy are this engaging, especially around a common table.

 

 

So, you may be thinking, big deal….a billion dollar company can do cute things, but what’s that got to do with me?  Well, for starters, you can become the happiness machine for another person.  Think about the hundreds of people you pass everyday, the people you work with–start right there with something as simple as a smile.  When you pass someone in the hallway, perhaps on  your way to class, give people  a smile. And, if I may be so directly, take out your stupid ear buds from your electronic device and actually respond to the other human being with you.

 

Secondly, recognize that you are not your own planet, not your own island.  While this ALSO ties in to how we must stop walking past one another, only engaged in our own music through our own device, it also means that you need other people.  So, in your daily work, who are the people that you simply never see?  Often, it is the maintenance person, but it also could be the secretaries in your office, the parking lot attendant, the security guards or even the check-out person where you grab lunch.  Talk to them. Give them a smile.  Learn their name and actually engage in a short, tiny, focused conversation.  These people are vital to your day (I mean, do you really want to start cleaning the toilet where you work?  If not, do you want to use a toilet that never gets cleaned?).

 

Lastly, take time to reflect on the miracle of life.  So often it appears we are just zooming from one “to-do” to another, driven in a rat-race of mazes, with little to no thought about the others around you.  Where I grew up in rural Tennessee, there was one easy way to know if the person driving near you was “one of us.”  We would wave.  Anytime you passed someone who did NOT wave, you instinctively knew “that person is a visitor, not from around here.”  The wave might be just a flick of the fingers as your hand rests on the top of the steering wheel, or a move of your hand as it rested on the window, but everyone waved.  I’ll be going back there in a few weeks for my 30th High School reunion, and as I drive, I am certain that most cars I pass will still wave or acknowledge my existence.  I plan on waving back.

 

Life is indeed a miracle, from start to finish, no matter how much time we have.  You need to celebrate each day as yet another chance to partake of the miracle God has intended for you.  While your days may be as bleak or frustrating as some of mine, in the end, with perspective,  the reality is that bad day is much better than the alternative to life.  So, with that in mind, watch this last video.  Yes, it’s from Coke too, so you may be jaded enough to think “it’s only marketing from them.”  Sure, it is that, but really watch and read the words as the story is told.  Your life is like that….a powerful tale of mystery and magic.  Now, go spread some happiness.