The Elephant Poem
by John Godfrey Saxe (1816-1887)
It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind
The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
“God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!”
The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried, “Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me ’tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!”
After filing for bankruptcy and looking for redirection in his life, Jamie Bianchini got on a tandem bicycle eight years ago and started pedaling for peace. In each city he visited, he invited people to jump on the extra seat on his bike and ride with him. What he thought would be a two year travel adventure turned into a philanthropic mission that has built a school for AIDS orphans in Uganda and put smiles on faces around the world.
What have you done to put a smile back on your face? No effort is too small. And no effort is too big either when you focus on looking for the smiles in your life. They’re everywhere if you choose to look for them. I’d love to hear your story. Share it in the comment box below.
This is such a touching encounter between a 10 year old gorilla and his human friend Damian Aspinall, who raised Kwibi the gorilla from an infant to 5 years old and then released him back into the wilds of Africa. The two have not seen each other in 5 years.
Watch carefully as Kwibi’s face turns into a smile as Damian sits down to connect with him for the first time. Precious.
What do you do when you can’t find your smile?
