The Little Smiles That Won My Heart – Laughter Galore With The Poverty Stricken

Fatimaali
Murree hill station, situated on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan.

Last year during the summer vacations, I was lucky enough to visit my homeland, Pakistan. Touristing different regions of Pakistan, this district in particular won my heart.
Those who reside in Pakistan, or anyone who has visited Murree previously will tell you just how captivating this place truly is! Murree is a mountain resort town possessing the most attractive sceneries!
I better not go into the details of how mesmeric this place is, and rather tell you what happened that day and how those very specific smiles enraptured my heart.

There was a slight breeze that evening, I vividly remember. I was strolling down the desolate streets of Murree, admiring the ways in which the brown fronted woodpeckers (a common bird species found in this hilly region) were fluttering around ever so carelessly flaunting their beautiful wings, and they quite evidently seemed so hassle-free.
A momentous feeling of envy and I closed my eyes to fantasise being able to spread my wings and fly away and with a very heavy heart, I imagined the wind blowing away all of my worries as I flew away.
My fantasies were disrupted with a faint sound of giggling. I opened my eyes in curiosity and to my surprise, there were a group of local girls, who instantly caught my attention. They were laughing around playfully and having the time of their lives! I couldn’t stop myself and rushed over in excitement to initiate a conversation with them, which I will never be able to forget!
Sometimes, conversations with strangers become so meaningful!
They told me so many things about themselves, the local area and the hardships they suffer in their daily lives. Their eyes were shining with glee and their faces were beaming with utter joy.

Their positive attitude despite the hardships they faced left a huge imprint on my heart and they gave me the much needed realisation of how blessed I am in every way. Their little smiles which spoke a thousand unsaid words of gratitude, their angelic hearts and glistening eyes, rather magically diminished my worries.

We always complain about our little issues and do not see the bigger problems other people face in their lives. These innocent girls taught me such a great lesson in life – that you do not need a reason to be happy. I had this picture clicked back then and have preserved it for a lifetime. Whenever I am feeling distressed, I take a look at this picture and remind myself that happiness is not dependent on the length of purpose. Happiness is to fill your heart with gratitude, only then we will begin to appreciate the blessings around us.

–Fatima Ali

Published by Fatimaali

29 thoughts on “The Little Smiles That Won My Heart – Laughter Galore With The Poverty Stricken”

  3. You are right Fatima…we never realize the small wishings of poor people around us!
    It is good to see your gratitude towards the realization of small but effective matters to raise in a community forum and of course we all need to build a happy society with a collective manner!
    Keep up the good work👍

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  4. A Beautiful moment shared with a lot of heart. I throughly loved reading it. It’s absolutely heartfelt and hence it’s purity reflects in the words.

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  5. I just want to say how beautifully you have reflected on your thoughts. Love your style of writing very creative and capturing.

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  6. Aww that’s so heart touching. The way you bring magic in words is commendable. I loved the simplicity in reflecting what your heart holds 💕

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  7. Such a beautiful article! I went Murree and Islamabad 8 years ago.. planning again once the virus clears up. Loving the Northern areas of paki

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  8. Beautifully written, Fatima! Such a wonderful message put up by you. Your words are so healing and spreads so much positivity around. Keep up the great work, We need more positive people like you in this world.

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  15. I enjoyed finding your blog and reading this delightful reflection on the source of happiness. I hope you saw my post today of those seven darling little boys whose expressions of pure joy invite you to imagine the source of their delight. It’s certain money can’t buy that inner joy! Thank you for joining JanBeek. You bring me happiness! ♥️🙏🏽👍🏽

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  16. What a wonderful story, and I love how it taught you something that you carry with you now. Similarly I will never forget when my vehicle was stuck in sand, a family came from their one room home and helped me out. They were smiling and kind. My wife and I were taught that day that happiness is more than things.- David

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