When you go through a difficult time, it is common for us to feel stressed. During these times people can see that we are down by our faces and of course, our actions. In this week’s Torah portion, Yayigash, when Pharaoh asked Yaakov “How old are you?” due to the stress from the ordeals of Yosef, Dina and Eisav. So basically the “claim” against Jacob was that per his lofty stature he should have been able to maintain his tranquility and not let the stress get to him, instead he should have held steadfast in his resolve and faith in Hashem, held his head up high and smiled.

Dan, a positive man, got into a yellow cab in downtown Manhattan and began a conversation with the driver. After being on the road the whole day, the driver was not in the best mood and he didn’t want to talk to anyone. However, Dan’s cheerful personality, he uplifted the driver’s mood within minutes into a pleasant one. After he finished his shift, the cab driver came home and to his wife’s surprise this was the first time ever that she had seen him come home in such a good mood. The next morning his wife went to work and was still beaming with happiness from the night before. She didn’t fight with her co-workers, nothing seemed to bother her, and her state of mind was serene. Julien, her boss, who usually came home after work with a migraine from listening to his employees quarrel, came home that night calm, with a pleasant attitude. He decided to reunite with his son, Jerry, whom he hadn’t spoken to for months, due to his hectic schedule.

He was walking with Jerry and noticed that he was being quiet, with tears streaming down his face. Alarmed, Julien asked, “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”  His son slowly took a crumpled paper out of his pocket and handed it to his father. His father opened the note and it read as follows:

To whom this may concern: I committed suicide because no one in the world cares about me. –Jerry

Julien looked at him with tears in his eyes and put his arm around him. Choking on his tears Jerry explained, “For the past few months I was lonely and depressed. I felt that no one cared about me and I planned to do the unthinkable. Three minutes before the jump I got your phone call that you would love to spend time with me…!”

In the case of this story one person’s happiness spread to many others and affected them in positive ways.  The lesson for us is to remember the great ability we have to persevere and maintain our equilibrium. Also, to have positive attitude even in times of crisis and stress. And in general, always remember how far our external appearance can affect the people around us! We hold a great power! A smile can really change lives!