The other day, Norman Vincent Peale’s 10 tips for Advent popped up in my Facebook newsfeed. Just in time too.
I’d been thinking about doing something special for the 12 Days of Christmas, like I did last year, and one of the suggestions on Dr. Peale’s list seemed intended just for me:
Try to go around spreading happiness, deliberately. But you may say, “I haven’t any to spread.” Spread it anyway. You will find if you spread happiness that you will have more to spread.
Well, I’m going to do just that! Over the next two weeks, I’ll actively spread wonder in the world around me. That means leaving surprises and secret messages for co-workers, loved ones, acquaintances and complete strangers.
Who knows? Perhaps my acts of holiday cheer will eventually lead to a miracle.
Today marks Day 1 of my little project and, to kick things off, I sent out a message to the world. You see, last week, I was the first one at our Guideposts morning editorial meeting.
As I waited for people to arrive, I looked out the conference room windows at the building directly across the street. From where I stood, I could make out fellow office workers in their cubicles, on the phone, typing and attending meetings.
I wondered about them. What were their lives like? What kind of work did they do? My colleagues T.J. and Dan walked into the room and laughed when they saw what I was doing.
“We should put up a sign in the window!” T.J. said, smiling. Dan suggested a message that encouraged the strangers across the way to “Look up!”
So this morning, inspired by T.J. and Dan, I taped up a message on our conference room windows, along with a sparkly cutout of a very friendly snowman. The sign says, “Always look up! How do you do?”
I’ll keep an eye out for a response and let you know what happens!
In the meantime, what do you think I should do for my next day of wonder? Share your ideas in the comments below. You can track my #12DaysofWonder progress on Instagram and Twitter.
