Bit of Happy #12: Spread the Happy!

“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”
-Buddha

This quote had me imagining…

The darkness of a cool night. (I’d say close your eyes and visualize this, but you obviously can’t read with your eyes closed… So, just picture this as you read it.) All of your surroundings are shaded with the dark blue of night. Shadows of black gather in the corners. And out of the darkness, a tiny light appears. A light so tiny that you are left wondering if it’s just your imagination. And then suddenly, it splits into two lights. Then three. Four. Five. You blink and rub your eyes, thinking you are just seeing things. The tiny flames are slowly coming closer, shedding light into the dark corners. Six. Seven. Eight.

Slowly you can begin making out distant faces – they are happy and warm. You can feel a sense of vulnerability as they approach. Should I open myself to them? Nine. Ten. Eleven. All of the candles are burning brightly. No one candle is burning more bright than the next. Twelve. Twenty. Forty. Suddenly, you can no longer decipher which was the original light. Fifty. Sixty. Seventy.  Closer and closer they approach, sharing their light with others along the way. Eighty. Ninety. One Hundred.

You begin to feel a pull. A tug at the corner of your lips. You’re smiling. The happiness is contagious. Someone greets you with a returned smile and holds their candle to yours. A flame sparks from their candle to yours as one and then slowly splits into two. A new light brightens. You can feel the warm glow on your face. Just this tiny gesture inspires you to share with others, and you begin lighting others’ candles with your flame.

Beginning with a single flame and having the power to share happiness with others. The power to inspire. The power to bring happiness. The power to hopefully have others share this flame with their friends, family and even strangers. Little Bits of Happy will become the single flame, only to split into many, many more.