SFPNN Special Edition –
Join us on-line at: http://www.sfpnn.com/
________________________________________________________________
— Thanks to author Michael T. Smith for today's Special Edition
The Happiest
By
Michael T. Smith
It started innocently.
Many years ago I worked in an office
with large windows facing a busy overpass. I was standing by one of those
windows one day when a woman in a passing car looked up and made eye contact.
Naturally, I waved.
A chuckle escaped my lips as she turned and
tried to identify me. It was the beginning of a year of window antics. When
things were slow, I would stand in the window and wave at the passengers who
looked up. The strange looks made me laugh and stress was washed away.
Co-workers began to take an interest.
They would stand from view, watch the reactions I received, and laugh along.
Late afternoon was the best time -
rush hour traffic filled the overpass with cars and transit buses, and
providing lots of waving material for the end-of-day routine. It didn't take
long to attract a following - a group of commuters who passed the window every
day and looked up at the strange waving man. There was a man with a
construction truck who would turn on his flashing-yellow light and return my
wave, the carpool crowd, and the business lady with her children fresh from day
care. But my favorite was the transit bus from the docks that passed my window
at
After a while, waving became boring,
so I devised ways to enhance my act. I made signs: "Hi,"
"Hello," "Be Happy!" and posted them in the window and
waved. I stood on the window ledge in various poses, created hats from paper
and file-folders, made faces, played peek-a-boo by bouncing up from below the
window ledge, stuck out my tongue, tossed paper planes in the air, and once
went into the walkway over the street and danced while co-workers pointed to
let my fans know I was there.
Christmas approached, and job cuts
were announced. Several co-workers would lose their jobs, and everyone was
feeling low. Stress in the office reached a high. A miracle was needed to
repair the damage caused by the announcements.
While working a night shift, a red
lab jacket attracted my attention. I picked it up and turned it in my hands. In
a back corner where packing material was kept, I used my imagination and cut
thin, white sheets of cloth-like foam into strips and taped them around the
cuffs and collar, down the front, and around the hem. A box of foam packing and
strips of tape became Santa's beard and when taped to the hat, slipped over my
head in one piece.
The next working day I hid from my
co-workers, slipped into the costume, walked bravely to my desk, sat down, held
my belly, and mocked Santa's chuckle, as they gathered around me laughing. It
was the first time I had seen them smile in weeks. Later my supervisor walked
through the door. He took three steps, looked up, saw me, paused, shook his
head, turned and left.
I feared trouble. The phone on the
desk rang a few moments later, "Mike, can you come to my office
please?" I shuffled down the hall, the foam beard swishing across my chest
with each step.
"Come in!" the muffled voice replied to my knock. I entered, and sat down. The foam on the beard creaked, and he looked away from me. A bead of sweat rolled down my forehead, the only sound was the hammering of my heart. "Mike..."
This was all he
managed before he lost his composure, leaned back in his chair, and bellowed
with laughter. He held his stomach, and tears formed in his eyes, as I sat
silent and confused. When he regained control he said, "Mike, thanks! With
the job cuts it has been hard to enjoy the Christmas season. Thanks for the
laugh, I needed it."
That evening, and every evening of
the Christmas season, I stood proudly in the window and waved to my fans. The
bus crowd waved wildly, and the little children smiled at the strange Santa. My
heart was full of the season, and for a few minutes each day we could forget
the loss of jobs.
I didn't know it then, but a bond was
forming between my fans and me. It wasn't until the spring following the Santa
act that I discovered how close we had become.
My wife and I were expecting our
first child that spring, and I wanted the world to know. Less than a month
before the birth I posted a sign in the window, "25 DAYS UNTIL B
One day a sign appeared in the bus,
"What is B
Ten days before the expected date the
sign in the window read, "10 DAYS UNTIL BA--
By then, my following had grown to
include twenty or thirty different busses and cars. Every night they watched to
see if my wife had given birth. Excitement grew as the number decreased. My
fans were disappointed when the count reached "zero" without an announcement.
The next day the sign read, "BABY
Each day the number changed and the
interest from passing cars grew. When my wife was fourteen days overdue she
went into labor, and the next morning our daughter was born. I left the
hospital at
"IT'S A GIRL!"
I wasn't alone that night. My
co-workers joined me in celebration. We stood and waved our cigars in the air
as every vehicle which passed acknowledged the birth of my daughter. Finally,
the bus from the docks made its turn onto the overpass and began to climb the
hill. When it drew close, I climbed onto the window ledge and clasped my hands
over my head in a victory pose. The bus was directly in front of me when it
stopped dead in heavy traffic, and every person on
board stood with their hands in the air.
Emotion choked my breathing as I watched
the display of celebration for my new daughter. Then it happened: a sign popped
up. It filled the windows and stretched half the length of the bus,
"CONGRATULATIONS!"
Tears formed in the corners of my
eyes as the bus slowly resumed its journey. I stood in silence, as it pulled
from view. More fans passed and tooted their horns or flashed their lights to
display their happiness, but I hardly noticed them, as I pondered what had just
happened.
My daughter had been born fourteen
days late. Those people must have carried the sign, unrolled, on the bus for at
least two weeks. Everyday they had unrolled it and then rolled it back up.
We all have a clown inside of us. We
need to let it free and not be surprised at the magic it can create. For eight
months I had made a fool of myself, and those people must have enjoyed the
smiles I gave them, because on the happiest day of my life they had shown their
appreciation.
It has been more than 18 years since
that special time, but on my daughter's birthday I always remember the special
gift they gave me.
— © Michael T. Smith
To
sign up for more of Michael’s stories go to:
http://visitor.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?m=1101828445578&p=oi
To read more of
Michael T. Smith’s stories, go to
http://ourecho.com/biography-353-Michael-Timothy-Smith.shtml
or
http://subs.zinester.com/86758/
Keep on waving!
* * *
Find all of your favorite SFPNN Special Editions in one place at: http://www.sfpnn.com/pnn_special_edition.htm
Also look for our Soul Magic series! http://www.sfpnn.com/soul_magic.htm
For current and back issues of Sir Froggie's Positive News Network, go to: http://www.sfpnn.com/pnn_current_issues.htm
______________________________________________________________
Ask
me about Angel Therapy®, Reiki and Theta
Healing!
(Click to e-mail.)
For help receiving Divine guidance, healing energy and positive life changes,
e-mail Jeanette (SFPNN’s Editor) or visit the following webpages for more
information:
Angel Therapy®: http://www.sfpnn.com/ask_your_angels.htm
Reiki: http://www.sfpnn.com/reiki.htm
Theta Healing: http://www.sfpnn.com/theta_healing.htm
Sessions may be done in person, over the phone, or even via e-mail in some
instances.
________________________________________________________________
sfpnn subscription
information
We welcome you to share your sfpnns
with others but please note… SFPNN is NOT
"spam" and may only be received through a confirmed free subscription
request from yourself or from someone who wished to give you a subscription as a
gift.
To SUBSCRIBE to Sir Froggie's Positive
News Network, click on the following link and enter the appropriate
information:
http://www.sfpnn.com/subscribe_to_pnn1.htm
To change your existing subscription to a different e-mail address, or to UNSUBSCRIBE, use the link at the
bottom of your individual issue.
________________________________________________________________
submission guidelines
If you’ve got a story you would like to submit to
Sir Froggie’s Positive News Network,
please visit the following link for our Submission Guidelines. This is the best way to get your work
published in our e-zine. Thanks for
sharing!
http://www.sfpnn.com/Submission%20Guidelines.htm
________________________________________________________________
This and every issue of SFPNN is
dedicated to MISTY, a tiny angel who taught us to love unconditionally and bask
in the glory and joy of each moment.
For more information about Misty, please read Misty’s Miracle at: http://www.sfpnn.com/SoulMagic/Soul2001/sm040601.htm and visit our Reflections of a Zen Master / Fuzzy Tales page at: http://www.sfpnn.com/misty.htm .
________________________________________________________________
"ONLY LOVE PREVAILS" — © Beverley Waller