Smile does not cost a penny

I was having an afternoon tea with my driver in a coffee shop, when an Indian man approached us over our table. He was holding a stack of lottery tickets with intention to sell to me first. I had no thought to purchase but with a broad smile on my face, shook my head and offered him a soft 'thank you.' Immediately he turned towards my driver, waved his tickets to signal whether he wants. My driver responded with shaking his head too but with an expression of anger on his face instead. The ticket seller left instantly.

Later I politely asked my driver why he was disturbed by the ticket seller with an angry face. He gave no proper reason except that he did not like people to sell things to him on the road. At the same time he asked, "boss, why had you been so kind to this sale people. You don't have to thank you him." I smiled and said, "My thanks cost me nothing. But that thank you can give him hope. Is not easy for him to sell and peddle on the street. At least my smile and thank you can motivate and encourage him to go further. If that man has a choice, perhaps he won't have to sell on the street. Imagine if everyone rejects him totally, he might even turn to crime for his survival. At least now he is doing a decent work to sell and not to rob. My smile and gesture were an energy for him to go on in life."

Morale of the story; why makes life difficult for another person when we can be of help. After all a smile from us doesn't cost a penny but it works wonderfully for those who receive it.

Quote by Les Giblin, "If you're not using a smile, you're like a man with a million dollars in the bank and no checkbook."