It�s just an ordinary day in my first month at the bookstore, and I�m still adjusting to my job (well, it�s my very first job in my entire existence here in this world, and it is in another country).

There is this woman, probably in her 50�s. She�s so jolly and has a very pleasant smile. In exchange for that I give her the widest and most sincere smile ever. The queue is not that long, and she has a lot of stuff that she wants to buy, and what I�m amazed about is she talks a lot. She�s telling about this book �The Secret� by Rhonda Byrne. Of course I know that book, it is our best seller these past few months and I never fail to scan this book every day that I�m a cashier. She said that she�s been reading that book every day, and she told me what this book is all about, and she adds that I should read it or better to have my own copy (right now, before I go back to my country, I have bought one copy for myself). She talks and she talks while I�m listening and doing her transaction.

At the end of our small conversation, before she leaves, she asks my name and puts thumbs up to me, and it really puts a smile on my face and into my heart.

But the real magic is this: Just four customers after that jolly woman, there is a woman whose age is not that far from the latter, and this particular woman is wearing an all black outfit, from her shoes, long silk skirt, silk top, earrings, and even her makeup. I�m not against black, but you can see the big difference in the two women. I put a smile on my face and greet her, but it just adds lines to her forehead. While doing my thing she is talking against our bookstore. She complains about a lot of things; the guard, the light, music, and even the design of our plastic bags. I just say to myself, ‘SMILE!’

Until she asks me what book I can suggest for her. Instantly I remember that jolly woman, and I suggest to her �The Secret�. She asks me a lot of questions that I don�t know if I answered correctly. Well, I hope I did, and thank God for letting that jolly woman tell me about the book! I said the same thing that the jolly woman told me, and even the way she told me.

The result? I�d made her have 2 copies of �The Secret�. She said that she will give one to her only sister that she’s never seen for almost 8 years – she�s going to visit her. And the other copy is for her to read, to keep and to share.

I�m surprised when she says, “You have pretty earrings my dear, it shines like your smile!” (I�m wearing dolphin shaped earrings with small round stones on its tail – it�s very cheap but cute) I said, “Well, thanks ma�am, but it�s not expensive, the stone is not genuine.” And then she replied, “I don�t care if the stone is fake or not, but I�m sure that your smile is not!” Wow! That means a lot to me. That�s one of the most wonderful compliments I ever heard.

This is what I wanted to say. This is the Secret. That is why it is called ‘The Secret’, because whether you are aware of it or not it is around us. The Secret has a never ending chain, from one person to another, from one place or another, and from one incident to another. In my case, I�m just in the right place and time. There�s a lot of books that I could offer to that woman, but it just happened that I remember that jolly woman and asked myself why this woman didn’t have the same smile as the jolly woman? And for that woman, just think of the transformation in her… just a while ago she complained a lot of things and I was almost scared of her, but a moment she learned to appreciate even small things. And for that, I see in her the same jolly woman… even when she�s wearing all black, I can see the light in her and the smile on her face.