As most of you know, Cassie and I walk around Cape Byron most mornings before work.
It's an interesting experience on many levels. this morning, people from around the world were gathered at the far easterly point watching a whale pass close in on its way north. but every morning it's interesting when we play the 'Good morning' or 'Smile' game.
We have this strange idea, you see, that you get what you put out. And as we walk past total strangers from all corners of the earth, we realised that each time we pass, there is the possibility of a whole new moment, never to be repeated; a blank slate if you like.
We also noticed that most people don't smile or greet you, and we wanted to know how many we could get a smile or a greeting out of if we initiated the action. Well, not surprisingly, the sight of two tall strangers (us) coming at you with what you might perceive as grim faces sure didn't create many happy moments. But when we purposefully smile and/or greet people, we get a whole lot more happy moments, and the following moments are sweeter too. Of course, there are subtleties of the momentary exchange; the tone of the 'Good Morning' may vary from demanding to gentle and the reaction varies accordingly.
This morning we had almost finished our walk. We were walking along Clarkes' Beach towards our car park. The tide was way out, the sand was broad and hard, and the dawn sun was creating a lovely golden effect on the people we approached. We smiled for all we were worth, but got no response. 'Hmm.." I said to Cassie. "I'm really putting out here and yet I'm getting nothing back in smiles. What about you?" Cassie was similarly confused. "I wonder what I've got going on that these people are picking up on?" I said. My mind was already in turmoil and my happy state was lost deep in a murky pool of navel gazing.
Suddenly it hit me. I turned around. The sun was directly in my eyes. With my sunglasses, I could only see the outline of people travelling in the same direction as us, with the sun directly behind them. it looked like a beach of dark shapes advancing on me. No wonder no-one smiled. they couldn't even see our faces!
The mind is indeed a powerful tool. Like fire; a good servant and a helluva master.
1 comment:
Hi I noticed you mentioned you wear sungglasses on your morning walk. I have heard from a few different sources that you absorb the most vitamin D from sunlight through your eyes. Thought this might interest you.
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