Forward the smile :D

So I had a real ‘wow’ moment a few weeks ago.

I met this guy by a trick of fate on the tube .

It was at a point where I had all this pent up anger and was feeling pretty defeated.

I was still dealing with the after affects of my attack and the police investigation, as well as the death of my Grandparents.

I picked up a card that was left on a seat as the design caught my eye. The guy who had originally handed the card out happened to be standing opposite me, and we started talking as he noticed me examining it.

He has launched a project called ‘forward the smile’; and the card related to that.

I got home and did a little research to find out what the project was all about, and emailed him to show my support for it.

I have always known that a smile from someone, whether I know them or not, has the potential to make my day.

I had a little game I played on the tube in Winter (because everyone looked so dull), just smiling at strangers to see who would smile back; and each day trying to beat yesterday’s score.

So it was refreshing to see that he had launched a project based on the same sentiment.

After continuing to speak to him over the following few weeks, I now have a more comprehensive understanding of why he started this in the first place.

This guy had had so many blows – one after the other. But instead of being defeated, he made a decision one day to give someone what he didn’t have – a smile.

Aside from his day job in marketing, he is a magician and musician. He takes his magic, a pack of cards and his guitar with him everywhere – to cafes, on the tube, to parks, in the street; absolutely anywhere and will engage with strangers. Performing magic acts or singing a song all with the aim of making them

smile so they can forward it on to someone else.

I was honoured to spend some time with him helping him to launch the second phase of his project which aims to encourage others to share their stories, and in between doing pop up performances for people. It was so much fun to be a part of, and I’m proud of myself for overcoming my fears and singing for someone other than family for the first time in years.

He introduced me to his friend Luc who builds sand sculptures. We watched him build a couch out of sand on the Thames and then sit on and play the Guitar. It was a lovely to way to while away the hours on a Sunday afternoon.

It is so incredible to me that at the exact moment I was feeling let down by society I meet a guy (I think it’s important particularly that he is a straight male, because that was the group I was directing so much anger at) that is so selfless he has devoted his spare time to making someone smile that he will likely never see again.

It is a huge comfort to know that people like him exist.

The timing was impeccable.

He has given me back my zest for life and helped me realise what my passions are.

He will probably never realise how much of an impact he is having on me, and it’s hard to explain; but I feel like I have been given a completely new lease on life, and all I want to do is use this to bring out the spark in other people.

I am walking around with a constant smile on my face and probably look like a loon.

I’ve always been full of ideas, but seeing what he has done has given me the courage to actually implement then, so I hope to launch something of my own very soon.

Creatively I feel more productive than I have in a while. I have opened myself up a lot more to new experiences which means I am meeting all sorts of new people.

I performed at an open mic poetry night last week which was very well received. Watching me do this also gave a friend of mine the courage to entertain at his first stand-up event.

So for me personally, I am already seeing that the encouragement Angelo has given me is having a knock-on effect.

Beyond my personal friendships, I have been putting a lot more thought into my interactions with people in general.

You never know what pain someone is carrying around with them, and something as simple as a smile has the potential to lift their spirits so profoundly.

For more on Angelo’s project, see http://www.facebook.com/#!/forwardthesmile