Warm-glow moments

I am going to attempt a super positive and hopefully uplifting blog entry, by writing about the phenomenon of ‘warm-glow’ moments. I presume – and hope, for everyone’s sakes – that the cliche of ‘feeling a warm glow inside’ is familiar to all, and not just as a literary expression. I identify the feeling as a sense of expansion, almost exhilaration, focusing on the chest and upper abdomen; I experience it when something happens to remind me that life is actually pretty good, and/or restores my faith in humanity (and perhaps therefore, by extension, its future, although I’m not sure that long-term thinking really enters into such experiences).

I would have liked to devote a blog to collecting such moments, in the hope of extending some of that warm-glow pleasantness, perhaps even bringing something positive for others via my writing. Unfortunately, however, true warm-glow moments are not so frequent – which I accept, is probably more due to my failure to recognize them and be grateful, than lack of real opportunity.

So I will just share the few that I can remember (I’m sure that there were more, but I failed to write them down at the time);

-    Smiling at a random young child on the bus/tram/train, who smiles back and appreciates the interaction (perhaps followed by friendly conversation with the parent – ‘how old is he/she? Mine is …’)
-    Running to the bus stop as the bus is approaching, and the driver stopping to pick me up where I am and save me the trot (only happened once, but it made up for all those times tram drivers pull away just as I get to the door).
-    Being picked up when hitch-hiking home, and sharing a few minutes pleasant conversation with a complete stranger, who even goes slightly out of their way to put me nearer my door. (NOTE: do NOT try this for yourselves. I believe that where I live is one of the few places in the WORLD I would feel safe enough to risk hitch-hiking).
-    Picking up a hitch-hiker en route home, sharing a few minutes pleasant conversation, and being happy to drive a bit further to help them out. (NOTE: ditto).

On analysis, I’ve realized that true warm-glow moments, as I have defined them, have nothing to do with personal achievement or circumstance. Yes, it feels good to get a compliment at work, or achieve success or do something well, but for me these things don’t bring quite the same type of random exhilaration. Yes, a hug from a loved partner feels good, but these feelings are mixed with need and obligation. The love for, and from, a child is enormous and beautiful, but intense and anxious to the point of pain, rather than warm, fizzy and exhilarating.

It does seem, though, that one needs human interaction to achieve such warm-glow moments. Chance encounters, pleasant exchanges, unsolicited smiles, small acts of kindness: if we recognized what a hugely positive affect these things can potentially have on someone’s immediate well-being, maybe we’d share them a little more freely, and humanity would be in a slightly better place.