The Blue Eyes by Mohamad Elbakri, Lebanon

Down and high, it’s how our life is going on; there is no stable emotion all the time. Everyone has down times when they feel upset, useless, and mad, and high times when they feel positive, active and happy, even when they face the same situation. I still remember that day when I was so down, negative, and seeing the bad things only. It was during my daily visits to the refugee camps in Lebanon, after I received the bad news from my manager that my application to a new position into the organization where I’m working at was refused. I felt that it was the end of the world and I would not be able to achieve any new goal to develop and grow up in my professional life. While I was passing by the tents to check the situation of the refugees and ensure that they were receiving all the services and referring any urgent cases to the specific NGO, a little young girl with blue eyes stopped me, smiling in front of me and asked for a notebook and pen. Her words are still in my mind: “Can I get a notebook and a pen? I want to learn and increase my knowledge so when I come back to Syria, I will be able to teach others and help them to rebuild our lovely country.” I can’t describe what I felt at that time – Was I happy to hear that? Surprised? Sad about her situation? Where did she get all this power and positive spirit? How can she think about the future even her situation, where she has not enough food, no money, no home? How can she being strong while I have everything and I’m still down? How come? Her words refreshed my mind, took me from the dark to the light, and I felt how blessed and lucky I am for everything I have. From this accident till today, when I face any difficult issue, I just remember her eyes and her words and I smile. Look around you and you will discover a million reasons to SMILE.