S-M-I-L-E—SIMPLY MAKE INDIVIDUALS (feel) LOVED ELEGANTLY

I naturally am not a happy person. I have had lots and lots of reasons to be afraid, to be sad, to be anxious and very very sorrowful but you know what, when that ‘foolish’ moodiness comes, I find myself praying and afterwards look for someone who I would make to smile for then would I smile.Anytime I feel sad, I remember those I have made happy. Then, I smile. Today, I remember a very touching experience I had in 100 level when I was in school. There has been a very beautiful girl in my class who I have noticed does not smile. Not just that, she frowns so bad that the skin on her forehead are folded neatly over themselves like laundries…lolI have heard people talk about her and complain that she was this and that. 100 level things, you know shae?
Whenever I see her though, I would throw away whatever was on my mind and with the belief that I could handle anyone; I would hold her hand and smile. “Good morning” I would say to her. She looks at the hand and back to my face and back to the hand. Noted, I would withdraw my hand, still smiling. She looks up at the sky as if to ask God if she should answer the greetings. “Morning!” she would say and off she would go. My friends would look at me like, 08138097630 “why are you always troubling the girl” but no, I really enjoyed disturbing her.
There was a day we 4 were to write a test. I had a fool’s cap sheet but I really wanted to disturb her again. I gave mine out and asked her “Shade, could I have a fool’s cap sheet, please?” She closed her eyes, breathed in deeply and exhaled with a bomb. She looked at my smiling face and shook her head as she looked away. I waited patiently for her. She looked back at me, realized that I was still waiting, tore one for me and turned back at her note. I was very happy. She is breaking little by little.
Then, it was my birthday. I really really love birthdays. I feel special on my birthday. There was supposed to be a party in the evening so I went to one of my friend’s room in preparation for the party. Then, one parcel had been dropped there. It was well wrapped.
“Who sent it”, i inquired but it was meant to be a surprise.
Oh my God! It was a very beautiful and colorful shirt. So beautiful. I beamed with smiles and saw a paper fell off. I unfolded it and read to my delight, so anxiously.

“To a wonderful person celebrating her birthday today, I wish you all the love in this world and joy and happiness to you.
I remember the first day I spoke to you, first semester 100 level in the library, you walked towards where I sat reading and asked “Excuse me, do you know me?” I looked up and frowned my face. AS USUAL (I know) to see you. Your warm smile made me think “what kind of person is this?”, “Eh, if I don’t know her, what is her problem?”
You said that you are my course mate and wondered why I don’t talk to people.
With your smile and words, I regretted those thoughts in my head.
The only thing I will say I love about you is being yourself. With such an attitude, one cannot mistake you and your personality and warm spirit of greeting everyone in class and asking about someone if you didn’t see the person. Your sweet jokes to lighten some one’s day is one of those things that qualifies a great personality.
With the little I have known about you, you are an amazing, focused and gifted individual and a unique individual that the world will never regret in million years to come.”

Happy Birthday
From: the girl that is afraid of the camera
Wow! That’s the name I called her! I call Shade “the girl that is afraid of the camera”. She was always running away from the camera when we were trying to capture her.
Wow, so my disturbances got to her! I was glad.
But, let me tell you that the next time I saw her, she was still frowning, pretending not to see me. I ran after her and caught her cloth.
“You want to tear my cloth ni” she said almost angrily
“No dear. Thank you so much for the gift though you didn’t come for my birthday”
“Sorry, what are you talking about?” she said again, maintaining a serious face. I hit her bombom as she walked away. She paused, looked back at me and her mouth itched to the side as if she was smiling. I got her.
It is still one of the many experiences I would never forget. I have used the incidence to teach a whole lot of Sunday school class. I was touched, she was touched and I tell you before leaving Bowen, she was one of the many people I enjoyed their companies. She is Akintayo Folashade and she now smiles and laughs, though sometimes…
Hmmmm….how many people have you looked down on. How many have you called proud because they have neither responded to your greetings nor looked at your side? How many people have you murdered with your words, looks and actions? The world would be a better place if we could just look beyond what we can see to what we think is right. Smile a lot; you don’t know who you are touching.
NOT ALL WHO LAUGH WITH YOU LIKES YOU AND NOT ALL WHO FROWNS AT YOU HATE YOU.