Once upon a time, an evil Witch devised a brilliant plan: to make a potion so atrocious, so vile, that a single sprinkle on human skin would cause a man to see only the bad and the ugly in the world. Even the kindest person on Earth would turn cold and heartless, and a mother would see a hideous ogre when looking at her own child.

The Good Fairy found out about the Witch’s plan and swapped the main ingredient – tar – for 1,000 rainbows which she condensed with magic until they looked as black as the night. The Witch suspected nothing. Just when she was about to pour the potion over a cloud – which would rain down and contaminate the Earth – the Good Fairy appeared out of nowhere and stole the potion from the Witch’s hands. She then turned it into a million glasses, which enabled humans to only see the good and the magical everywhere they went.

The Good Fairy traveled around the world and gave each human a pair. A traveler, exhausted from a long day’s journey, would put on the glasses and realize that the nearest village is less than a mile away. A painter, embittered by lack of inspiration, would see the world in new colors and paint like he’d never painted before. A father would see that although not always successful, his child is trying his hardest and give him support instead of punishment.

The Witch was furious. How could her plan go so horribly awry? She couldn’t take the glasses away, but she could turn them invisible and make humans forget how to use them. And this she did. To eliminate the Good Fairy further interference, she confined her to place called Eternal Nothingness for exactly one thousand years, one year for each rainbow she’d used. Until then, humans were left to deal with the troubles of the world on their own.

* * *

Every week I write a new edition of Weekly Glee – a collection of things and events that make me happy.  Usually the words come out effortlessly, pouring like a stream, but sometimes they barely trickle, and I have to think hard of what really did make it a spectacular week. So far, there hasn’t been a single time that I couldn’t come up with at least one thing that was worth sharing with you – this in itself is gleeful thing, isn’t it?

When you run into a negative, unhappy person, what’s the first thing you notice? Their uncanny ability to focus on the bad and the ugly in any situation. They could meet god tomorrow and know the secrets of the universe, and still find something negative to nag about. Few people know of the power the Glee Glasses give us. The Good Fairy knew the Witch would meddle with them and took precaution: although invisible, they can be activated by will. A simple desire to see the good around you will make you see it.

So let us put on our Glee Glasses and celebrate our ability to:

  • Forgive ourselves our shortcomings & love ourselves the way we are
  • Give kindness and and receive kindness back
  • See the beauty where it’s rarely seen
  • Be loved and accepted for who we are no matter how different, weird or deviant
  • Be motivated to do our best…
  • …and have the inspiration to do it
  • Stop being jealous of what we don’t have…
  • …and be grateful for what we do have, while we still have it.

“How do you make a person experience instant happiness? Take away what they have, then give it back.” – author unknown

Deerlings: what do the Glee Glasses make you do?