Hey Clementine!

Hope you’re taking care of everyone at home. It’s been pretty cold here as well but your memories keep me warm so I’m doing great 😉

Anyway, here’s your monthly installment ma’am. This time, I’m sharing a special story about spreading warmth in the world…

Phones were a new thing and expensive text messaging was the only way to chat. I did not have a personal phone yet, but your aunt did. Sounds bad but I must confess that sometimes I used to sneak into her phone (to be honest, it was more of a love for technology than for sneaking into someone’s privacy). It was an old black-and-white Nokia phone (yes, the one I showed you a few years back) with a small screen, no internet, and the good old “Snake” game.

One day I randomly opened her message inbox when I stumbled upon something that changed the way I looked at my actions. Prior to this, I saw good acts as a formality, something you do to be a part of a civilized society (remember, I was a naïve 15-year-old kid). Moreover, I thought that every good act deserves some reward or recognition. But this simple text (I don’t remember from whom) changed it all. It read:

Do good without expecting anything in return as some scent stays in the hands of those who give away roses.

– Old Chinese proverb

I am not sure what you make out of this Clementine, but to me it was profound. I was in a phase of life where I was doing the exact opposite and felt disappointed whenever my good deeds went unnoticed. In fact, many times I did good only to be praised. But this was the exact opposite and somehow it resonated with me.

Until that moment, I understood things backward, but now it all made sense. Good things are not done for the praise, rather praise is a by-product. Good is good, it does not need any validation. I played around with the idea, started holding doors for others whenever I could, wished people a good day with a big smile, and all this because “Why not!?” I saw myself as someone giving away roses without expectations. Maybe I was delusional, but day by day I felt my happiness growing.

Most of the people thanked me and smiled back, but something was different. Maybe because I was not expecting anything in return, their sweet gestures felt sweeter than ever before. It was like getting a surprise gift, just even better.

It is hard to capture in words, but once I saw how good breeds good, I never looked back. All the credit goes to sneakily reading my sister’s texts. Too bad that I dropped that habit. I wonder what a great person I would have become if I kept reading her messages! 😉

Love

Papa