***
He often felt out-of-sorts, wanting to be left alone. Querulousness alternated with an urge to inflict violence. He visited an allopath, who threw out vague suspicions and ordered a battery of tests. All were normal. Other organs were tested and found normal, including that universal refuge of confused doctors, the brain. A friend scoffed, allo-shallow-pathy is bunk, and took him to a homeopath. The homeopath was a cadaveric individual who looked even more depressed than him and asked in a mournful, this-hurts-me-more-than-it-does-you kind of tone, highly personal questions that made him squirm. He asked about his aversions and his likes and how much coffee he drank. His reply that he couldn't live without coffee threw the homeopath off balance. He quickly scribbled something incomprehensible. A week later he felt no different.
Another friend introduced him to a naturopath. This guy made a frontal attack on his lifestyle and eating preferences. He made hostile comments about meat eating, alcohol and smoking and prescribed raw plants and bitter fruit. He cancelled ice cream, fries, pizzas, samosas, jalebis, mutton and chicken. The patient quickly left, stopping rebelliously at a wayside stall to have samosas and jalebis. He then looked in at McDonald's for a large order of fries and cola.
He walked into a park and sat down on a bench next to an old man reading MAD magazine. The old man looked up, smiled and said, "Hello, how are you?" So engaging was the smile and the greeting that he warmed to the man. He smiled back and returned the greeting. He offered fries and suddenly found himself talking about the magazine, about college, about himself, about his family and about his peculiar moods. The old man listened with great interest, undistracted and attentive. Finally, he said, "I don't know if this will help you, but try saying "hello" to everyone you meet. Give them a smile. Strangers, especially women are suspicious and often won't reciprocate. Might look right through you; don't worry. Don't let it stop you from saying hello and smiling. The mantra is 'People matter. Be happy. Communicate happiness to those around you'." I got it. Creating and extending warmth was the key. Bringing sunshine into someone's life would consequently illuminate your own.
***
