People i remember the most are....

Some people left lasting impressions and i am one who is not easy to impress. Not many of them has smashing personalities, nor did they come with any charisma that  i could recollect. But of a crowd of people, barring the intelligent and the funny - some of these folks i remember well did something simple and yet lasted in my brain bank.

One day i met a little beggar child, scratching on my car window for money, and i turned right, to look at the small dirty face of this street urchin. Instead of begging then and annoying me - she smiled such a happy smile, it lit up her face, her sad existence, that sad moment and also snapped me out of my thoughts to meet her at my window as two people who shared something nice - A Smile.

I smiled back and she held my stare. Not begging, not gesticulating but an honest to god smile. I had little time before the signal would turn green and i will go away to perhaps never meet her again. For someone who will not allow beggars to beg - i broke my rule. Fished into my bag and got out 200 bucks to give this girl who gave me a happy moment lot of my friends fail to evoke, my work life wont necessarily give and often my own personal space is devoid of. This was a free of expectation good naturalness that is hard to find.

When i drove back home i saw flashes of managers, leaders, teams, friends and relatives. And a shocking event occurred to me then - i only saw happy faces. People who made moments happen because they could penetrate the phoniness of etiquette and social candor. I dint recollect the significant people, elders, nor rich friends, certainly not the who is who lot of people i know. These were the simplest people -down to the first grain of simplicity and i had found that in how they smile. 

Some of these people created hallmark events by when they smiled and how. Its etched in my mind of how a smile came across a tough room, or mischief shone in the eyes of a face in hard debate with me, or a knowing smile of my need for help...they came in so many forms and never said anything in words but left a mark stamped so hard that i keep a special place for these folks. This story is 6 years old . That's when i decided these people who wormed their way in my mind so deep - they need more space to breathe. That if i ever needed to put in effort on people - it will be them. Friendships demand time attention and space to give -else they die a natural death. So that is the story of my friends who enter that ring in my life.

Status, position, contribution, name, money is alien in the discussion of my short life span. In the time i have - i have for only those who have that "Soul quality", and i always found it in how people smile.