The happy, smiling girl.

There once lived a little girl that loved to laugh and be happy. She wanted to share her laughter and always looked for the good in people. One day she was playing in the park and a little boy came up and took her by the arm roughly. He demanded that she give him her smile. So she smiled for him. He walked away smiling.

The next day the little girl was happily going through her day looking at the beautiful clouds when the same boy came up behind her and pushed her to get her attention. She turned around and he firmly told her to give him her laughter. She laughed for him until her stomach hurt. And he walked away, while she held her aching belly.

A few weeks passed before this little girl encountered the little boy again. She saw him heading towards her and tried to cross the street to avoid him but he followed. He confronted her and asked brusquely why she was avoiding him. She looked down sadly and shook her head. Her body was limp and her eyes twinkled with a spark that intrigued the little boy. So he asked her give him the twinkle in her eyes. And she did.

Soon the little boy was scouring the town looking for the little girl. He asked the crossing guard if he’d seen the happy, smiling girl but the crossing guard told him to hurry and get out of the street.

He asked the shop owners if they had seen the happy, smiling girl but they told him there was no loitering in the stores.

He asked the maintenance crews in the park if they had seen the happy smiling girl but they ignored him and continued on with their work.

He was ready to give up; besides, he was already smiling, laughing, and had a twinkle in his eyes… but he wanted more. So he looked again.

In the playground, he found the little girl quietly playing alone. Her body was small but even without her smile, laughter, or that twinkle in her eyes, she beamed with felicity. The little boy could hardly contain his greed when he saw this. He immediately pounced on this last little thing he found in the little girl. He had to have it, so he took it.

The little girl walked home, shoulders slumped and her arms pressed tightly across her chest. She could barely contain the swell of tears. She opened her eyes as big as she could and blinked them away, as she slowly walked with her head focused on the few feet in front of her. She did not know what had happened. She realized that her happiness and even her laughter were missing. How did this happen? She tried to remember the last time she felt like herself and was lost in that thought when she walked into her house, passed the cookies and her mother.

She went into her room and laid on her bed. The tears were now free to flow as they pleased. And that they did. For what seemed like a long time, she cried. The little girl’s body seemed to buckle under the pressure of sadness in her chest. And then she felt a soft hand on her shoulder. The warmth of the touch made her feel safe and loved. The tears started again. Her mothers touch quickly turned into a hug. The mother held her little girl as if she was just a newborn again. Wanting to take away all this sadness. Searching her daughter’s eyes for more information. Desperate to make it better, yet patiently waiting for her daughter to be able to speak.

Through sobs and barely audible words, the little girl explained that she met a little boy. He looked sad and was always alone and everyone was mean to him. She had decided to help him be happier and be his friend. She gave him her smile, her laughter, the twinkle in her eyes, and then he took her happiness. And now she was empty and her heart felt heavy, her belly ached from the sadness, and she did not know what to do.

The mother held the little girl’s face in her hands and smiled. That very knowing smile that mothers have, and said to the little, “When you give of yourself, you have to be careful. When you give of yourself, you have to be wise. Not everyone is going to give back, and that could mean your own demise.”

The little girl looked troubled as she listened. But her face softened when the mother explained that even when she feels that there is nothing left inside to give, there is. And just as it took a while for her to get to empty, it may take time to feel better.

“Take the time for self-care and you will be free to share your gifts without fear of losing yourself”