It's raining outside.

Across the street, the owners of the coffee shop, the grocery store, and the fashion boutique are discouraged. To them, rain usually means lower traffic, which leads to the mounting pressure of meeting payroll, covering rent, and managing the cost of goods... all while trying to provide for their own families.

The bakery owner, however, loves the rain. It brings back joyful memories from his youth: jumping in puddles with his friends, playing in the mud, laughing the kind of laugh he hasn't experienced in a long time. He smiles and decides to create 100 small, raindrop-shaped croissants to give away for free to the next 100 children who pass by the entrance of his bakery today. He takes action, creating the small croissants.

He then joyfully steps into the rain holding an umbrella, handing croissants to smiling children without expecting a single thing in return. "This is a gift for you," he tells each child and smiles, remembering the joy he had in the rain when he was young.

Which owner do you think saw a lift in their business that day? The retailers who succumbed to the gloom of a projected loss, or the bakery owner who decided to serve others with a joyfull heart?

How will you choose to appreciate and transform the "rain" in your life today? How will you serve others with joy right now?

Thank you for taking the time to read and reflect.

Until next time,
​Alex Rășcanu​

P.S. If you'd like to read the past life lessons-focused e-newsletters, you can find them here.

P.P.S. See you at one of the upcoming monthly #ExperienceTO historical tours.