I walked into the Times Square New York City subway station a few weeks ago to find a man, in unkempt clothing, mumbling to himself. He was pacing back and forth with a tote bag on his shoulder that had some clothes.

“He’s homeless,” I thought, “and perhaps even mentally ill. Watch out as you pass him.” 

My mind was painfully aware of two or three recent news stories where a subway rider had been pushed by a mentally ill person onto the rail-tracks.

As I got closer to him, I smiled instinctively to try and relieve the tension on his face.

“You’re smiling!”, he exclaimed, in a growling tone.

“Uh, oh,” I thought to myself, “my smile is hardly warming him up.” 

I braced myself, and stayed at a safe distance. As I passed him by, he continued, in a searching tone, “You’re smiling. But did you mean it from the heart?”

That was it — we passed by each other and I got into the train.

I kept asking myself the question he had asked me, throughout the day. Had I truly felt joy from within, and had I truly intended to offer warmth in that moment through my smile? Or had I simply wished for him to lay low?

What was it, I wondered, about his understanding of the subtleties of life that made him so effective at piercing through the surface of things to get to the very core of my being? Perhaps it takes someone who is totally unconcerned with how he is being judged to ask us the awkward questions we fail to ask ourselves in life. How deep and subtle is the flow of our true intentions within.

So today, as we celebrate this treasured tradition of Thanksgiving in America (which our Canadian neighbors celebrated a few weeks ago), wherever you may be in this world, I invite you to reflect on the following: When I say “Thank you” to others, or when I smile at someone, do I mean it from the heart?

Warmly,
Hitendra

Like This Newsletter?
Share it with someone who might find it valuable.