The charming old lady who taught me a lesson for life :)

I am very fond of  old people. They're mostly charming, cute, friendly and they always have amazing tales to tell...and I'm lucky they like me too :D

This post is about one such charming old lady I once met in life. She worked in the same building as me. She was one of the janitors of that building and was at least 85 (if not more) at the time.
Yes!!! It was heart wrenching to see her work that hard at that vulnerable age. I would feel so upset seeing a mop in those old, frail hands that I would almost feel like throwing my badge, picking up that mop and doing it myself. Just like me, there were a few others who'd often offer help but she'd smile and refuse. 

She was a very adorable old lady.  Small oval face, short, snow white curly hair, pink complexion, , twinkly eyes and the most adorable smile..like a child :)

Every time I saw her, I would have a broad smile on my face. It was like a reflex action. One could feel those positive vibes around her.
One evening, after many frequent late nights at work, I was tired, stressed, thinking that I couldn't handle it anymore. I rushed to the canteen to buy some fruit and was longing to go home to my baby. She was there.. sitting on the stairs, rubbing pain relief balm on her hands and legs. The moment she saw me, she gave her prize-winning smile like always and waved a good bye.

My pride collapsed within seconds. I suddenly began to feel very small, selfish. This lady had worked hard all day long, just like all of us...probably much more than us and while rubbing a balm on her sore limbs, she had managed to smile generously like she had the best day ever!

I went back to my desk, this time not feeling tired but feeling ashamed of myself.

On many occasions after this incident, I often bumped into her. Frankly speaking, I knew what time she'd go for lunch. So I'd try to time my lunch around that time and go to the canteen so I could exchange a few smiles. Those smiles would make my day. She was like my good luck charm.  And then she would walk up to my table sometimes and talk to me. I wouldn't understand a thing because she spoke in Mandarin but I'd still smile along. I would try hard with all the hand gestures to talk to her, ask her where she stays and whether she has a family and she'd respond confidently as if she understood every word but in fact that was never the case :D.  It was  really funny us trying to communicate. Neither of us actually understood what the other was asking and yet it felt like we had a great conversation :D

I got tempted to offer her financial help on many occasions but for some reason never gathered the courage to do so. She was a self sufficient woman working with dignity . She hadn't any room for sympathy and yet it was hard for ordinary people like me to see her working so hard at such an old age.

Every time she smiled at me and patted my back, it felt like she thought of me like her own grand daughter and that would make it even harder to offer any help. And then it was Chinese new year, I thought this would be a good time to offer her some help. So I did, very shyly, she looked straight in my eyes as if analyzing me, then said something in a stern voice and accepted it. It felt like she said "I'm only accepting it because it's New years". I was looking at the floor the whole time.

But really! She seemed happy and content with her life. She did her job happily, gossiped loudly with her other friends during lunch, laughed wholeheartedly and  smiled warmly at every passerby.
There was no one in that entire building of more than 5000 employees who seemed happier than her!!

It's from her that I learnt a very important lesson in life: We don't need much to be happy in life!!!!

It was so simple isn't it, to stay happy, yet we have complicated it so much!! One could find joy in small, everyday things and still be the happiest of all :) 

I try to follow this simple rule everyday and it really helps. 

On the last day of my job, I looked for her everywhere but couldn't find her. I really wish I had.

I still often think about her wondering where she is, whether she's still working. But I am very confident, wherever she must be, she must be  happy, generously smiling at others like always and spreading joy!

Whenever I visit Singapore next, I'm definitely visiting that town again, hoping to bump into that sweet lady somewhere who taught me this very important lesson!

We don't need much to be happy in life! We just need to smile generously and spread joy to those around us to feel happy!

Cheers to life!! :))