Episode 158 - Someone's at the Door

This week I’ve been staying with my parents (with whom I am in a bubble). Whilst I was here, they got a new doorbell. It’s a very fancy doorbell. By that I mean that it doesn’t simply go ding dong when you press it, but it lights up and plays any tune from a choice of about fifty. (yes, I know I have very low standards of what constitutes fancy). After much deliberation it currently plays a low fidelity version of the Fur Elise. The first couple of times that it rang my mum jumped up after being startled by this unfamiliar noise and started search the house trying to work out which phone was ringing until I pointed out that it was the doorbell. 

She has now become familiar with the sound, but unfortunately has not yet associated it with someone being at the door. So, when the doorbell does ring, she completely ignores it as though it was someone else’s phone ringing, until I mention that there’s someone at the door. She then looks at me with a puzzled expression wondering why I would say such a thing until she remembers that we’ve changed the doorbell. It’s funny how you can get familiar with a sound to the point that you no longer hear it. I sometimes wonder if at times I get like that with God’s voice. That I get so used to God prompting me that I don’t recognise that he’s doing it anymore, until someone points it out. I guess we all need someone to help us to hear the doorbell sometimes, no matter how loud it is. I’m blessed to be surrounded by people who can recognise God’s voice.

Episode 157 - I'm not a Superhero

I am not a superhero. I know this because although I wear a mask, I do not wear a cape, put my underpants on the outside of my trousers, or have any superpowers. In fact all of my skills and abilities are rather ordinary and neither particularly super or powerful. If I did have one gift that was a superpower though, it would be my smile which seems to have the power to disarm the grumpy and spread joy with very little effort. If my smile was my superpower, then I suppose having to wear a facemask would sort of be my kryptonite, for now, my smiling has no effect because no-one can tell that I’m smiling… or so you would think.

 A funny thing about smiling is that although it primarily refers to a movement of the mouth, it spreads across your whole face seemingly infectiously, softening all of your features and bringing a lightness to your appearance. So even when a smile is hidden, it can still be seen. Another funny thing about smiling is that although it’s an involuntary expression of inner feelings stemming from an overflow of joy, it can also be a choice made contrary to what you might feel inside. You might extend a smile to someone as an expression of affirmation or a friendly greeting even when you don’t feel joyful at all. The final funny thing about smiling that I’d like to point out is that whilst it’s thought of as an outward expression, when you choose to (genuinely) smile despite what you feel, it’s impossible to stop it travelling inward, spreading across your soul and lightening your spirit, just as it’s impossible to stop a smile physically spreading to the rest of your face. So as you go about your day today, smile like no-one’s watching, and know that the whole world will see!