TELL - December 2019 - February 2020

significant it can be for others to
help us see our blessings. The first
was an experiment where two
booths were set up on a busy city
street. On one was the sign: “receive
a compliment” and on the other:
“give a compliment.” People were
invited to step into the booths with
another person and first to give a
compliment, then to receive one.
There was a father and daughter, a
boss and his employee, two friends,
a new husband and wife, and they
each stepped off the street, into the
booths and expressed something
special about the other person. The
father started by saying: “I don’t
think I have ever told you this
before but I really admire…” and
then went on to tell his daughter
qualities in her that he admired.
The daughter said: “I know it
might not seem like it sometimes
by the way I behave but I really
respect you as a person and am
grateful that you are my dad and
in my life.” Each duo told each
other such special and beautiful
things and by the end, all of the
participants were in tears, so moved
by the compliments. Every one of
them left smiling and feeling good
about themselves. Sometimes the
blessings in our lives need to be
pointed out by others and when
they do, we can feel the connection
and the beauty of that relationship.
In a second experiment, Soul
Pancake, an online organization
that “explores the big questions in
life” interviewed participants to
establish their levels of happiness.
They then asked them to write
a letter to someone who had a
positive influence on their lives.
The participants did so and thought
they were done. But there was one
more step: they were then asked
to call the person about whom
they wrote, and read the letter
to them over the phone. Again,
there were beautiful scenes and
the tears flowed as they expressed
their feelings and gratitude to those
who had made a difference in their
lives. Afterwards, the researchers
again measured the participants’
levels of happiness, and they
found that everyone was happier
than they had been before, just
by expressing their gratitude to
another person. And interestingly,
those who were the least happy
at the beginning showed the
greatest increases in happiness.
So, expressing our gratitude, being
appreciative, can actually help
us to be happier. It can make a
difference in our lives, as well as
the lives of those who received
the compliments. It helps us to
recognize the blessings in our
lives and appreciate them.
Maybe this summer as we look
at all the photos and images, we
can use them as the impetus to
reflect upon our own lives and
consider the blessings we have.
May we all have a summer of
peace and blessings.
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