Using My Privilege To Make A Difference – The Bubble Stick

“An absolute nothing for me can mean an everything to someone! A broken toy lying in a corner, meant to be thrown, can bring a spark of happiness elsewhere. I realized it is as easy as this to spread happiness and to touch lives.”

A privilege check

A few days back my cook woke me up on her way out to inform me that she had picked up an item from my kitchen garbage. Just woken up from sleep, I could not comprehend what she was saying . Garbage? Did she say garbage?

I looked at her confused,wondering what she had picked from the thrown stuff. I then look at her hand and see a bubble stick. The one that contains soap water and on blowing through the loop produces bubbles. I had bought that for my son from a fair and it had cost me Rs. 40/-.

Observing my confused look, she clarifies her act of taking this with her lest one would confuse it with stealing . She tells me in a hurried tone, “madam, from the time our business had gone down, we have been struggling financially. My kids love these bubble sticks but since they cost a lot, we have refused to buy it for them. When I saw it lying in the bin, I could not resist picking it up for my kids. They will be happy to see it. I hope that it’s ok”

I felt a big lump in my throat. I held back my tears and just nodded my head as an indication of my approval. I slumped onto my sofa and my head reeled with thoughts.

“An absolute nothing for me can mean an everything to someone! A broken toy lying in a corner, meant to be thrown, can bring a spark of happiness elsewhere !”

I realized it is as easy as this to spread happiness and to touch lives! One does not have to do big things to make a difference in someone’s life. It is all about looking around you and spreading love and happiness!

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The act of giving

That weekend, as I cleared my sons room ,I packed a bag full of happiness. A guitar hardly used, a study table sparingly used and many more toys. I call my cook and ask her to come over and take all of it. She reaches in less than 10 mins. She walks in,looks at all those toys and her reaction was something I was not prepared for at all .She started weeping!

In her tear chocked voice she tells me “madam, you don’t know what these toys mean to me. I have been struggling with the guilt and sadness of not being able to buy toys for my kids. It is like you have given my kids their childhood. Thank you so much! I can’t wait to see the look in my the eyes of my children! They will go mad with happiness.”

As she left the house with a positive feeling, I knew I had made a difference to her life . I knew ,for her ,life now looked more positive and hopeful. I knew I had contributed to someone’s happiness!

“Spreading happiness and making a difference is as easy as this. Don’t think too much. If a noble thought crosses your mind, just change it into action before it gets diluted!”

I hope that by sharing my experience, I can make a difference in someone’s life.

First published here.

Picture credit: Shaurya Sagar

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