A good news story: the power of a single smile
Benedict Ndlovu. A name you may not remember, but a smile you will never forget.
He has been selling roses and other flowers on the corner of Van der Merwe and Mostert streets, day and night, for as long as many of us can remember.
There has been much written about this man and his contagious energy, but there has not been enough penned about his smile, how it can change the mood, the day, or even the week of a passerby.
It is said that great power lies in a random smile. This is absolutely true for Benedict. It is difficult to drive past him without smiling or letting a little giggle slip from one’s lips, so energetic and joyous is he. He hopes to sell 13 bunches seven days a week. He may sell two or three if he is lucky and the rest he is forced to throw away, but there he is, dancing at the four-way stop street.
How does he remain so upbeat? “I don’t know,” he says with a grin, “I just do.”
It is well known that smiling can improve your mood, reduce stress, make you more approachable, trustworthy and boost productivity and creativity, but the best news is that it is free. It is absolutely free.
Read last week’s good news story: All hairy donations are welcome at CANSA
All people smile in the same language, no matter one’s culture, nationality, religion, race, or sexuality. In light of the political turmoil at home and abroad, wide-scale corruption, electricity woes, international flight bans based on the religious affiliations of a certain country, war and strife, perhaps we all need to smile a little more.
Mother Theresa, an Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary born in Skopje, now the capital of the Republic of Macedonia, was a controversial figure for her beliefs on certain issues. She is also widely lauded and admired for her charity work among the poor.
She said: “Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”
Thank you, Benedict Ndlovu, for your gift every day. Thank you for your smile.
