There’s this movie that I saw a few months ago called HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE and in it is a scene where one of the female characters tells a story about something an Indian taxi driver told her in the rear view mirror….I’ll paraphrase.
He said, “Bliss.” ”Bliss is your birthright. You have great potential for happiness in this life, but your problem is gratitude. You do not give enough thanks.” She asks him how and he says, “Simple! Say ‘thank you’. Say ‘thank you’ all the time and then follow that with ‘more please’. With gratitude, the Universe is eternally abundant.”
I liked this…it was a good reminder. I’m sure I’m not the only one who forgets to stop and be grateful from time to time.
Months go by and I occasionally remembered to say “more please” after feeling particularly grateful about something and about two weeks ago, I watched the movie again, this time with my friend Angela.
Last week as I was busily making jewelry and other pretty things, getting ready for this years Grandma Party Bazaar, I got hammered with the flu….my Friday consisted of high fevers, chills and coughing so hard that blood vessels burst around my eyes. Fun stuff. I was starting to think that I would have to abandon my vendor spot, but by Saturday night, I was no longer feverish and was able to do the photofinish preparations for the next day. With the help of my wonderful husband, Mother and over-the-counter drugs, I was able to get through the day….feeling only a little bit awful. I put on a smile, tried to be as cheerful as could be whenever someone stopped by my tent….hiding my sick as a dog, tired eyes behind sunglasses.
The most amazing thing happened that day…
A woman casually stopped at my tent late in the morning, looked around at what I had to offer and complimented my work. She had a very quiet but focused energy and said that she she had visited all the vendors and my tent was her favorite. Of course, I thanked her. What a compliment! She bought a scarf and a necklace and after I handed her the bag and thanked her again for her purchase, she handed me a sealed envelope and walked away.
Now….I use to wait tables and have been given A LOT of religious pamphlets as tips in the past. Honestly, I was expecting to see the face of Jesus when I opened the envelope, but instead I saw Benjamin Franklin. I stood there completely puzzled. My foggy medicated brain that had a hard time earlier in the day doing simple math, was slow to process what I held in my hands. I looked up at my husband and mother with my mouth open and furrowed brow and said “there’s money in here.” I thumbed through the pristine bills and counted $1,000. My voice got all choked as I told them how much was in there and my eyes teared up.
My guess is that I stood there for a full three minutes holding the envelope not knowing what to do with myself. When I got it together, I looked for the lady, but she was long gone. I wanted so badly to say “Thank you!”
I am so grateful for her generosity and for the vote of confidence. I know that I like the things I make, but to hear that they are good and worthy by someone other than the people that know and love me, gave me an unexpected boost in my sense of purpose. Occasionally, I’ve felt silly that I gave up my “normal” day job or conventional career to focus more on developing my brand and making art and admittedly felt foolish when someone would imply that it might be irresponsible or not very grown up to be a 32 year old college graduate working part-time at a cafe. I’ve let them plant that seed of doubt in me, but then I wake up the next day with more ideas floating around in my head and an almost constant desire to be make something with my hands and I know that I’m doing the right thing. My mystery heroine helped to crush that seed of doubt with her anonymous investment and for that, I cannot adequately thank her.
When Angela stopped by later that day and I told her about the envelope, she looked at me with huge eyes, laughed and said “THANKYOUMOREPLEASE!”
Yes. Thank you. More Please.
