Dayo woke up the following day in an unusually gleeful mood. He himself did not know exactly why he was in such high spirits. He met everyone on the way from home to the gallery with a big smile. He started the day in such a wonderful mood that he was able to ignite the entire gallery with the spark of his joyful mood. Everybody suddenly began to cheer up. No unpleasant words were spoken. No hot arguments took place. No harsh reproaches were heard and no unwholesome scene was seen.

"Mr Balogun" A voice rang out from inside one of the shops in the Queen’s Gallery plaza. Dayo looked up from the newspaper he had been reading while standing at the entrance of his office.

He was surprised to see an elderly man possibly in his sixties walking towards him in a dignified manner. He walked briskly to meet the man with an amiable grin on his face and cheerfully received the hand the man extended for a handshake with a bowed head as a mark of respect.

"Good morning, Mr Balogun, what is happening here today? I visit this gallery or one of the shops here everyday and I have never seen everybody in this kind of good mood. Even the cleaners are affected. Did you give them a salary increase or any other kind of incentive? What is the magic?" Dayo smiled.

”A very good morning sir; thanks for being a friend of our gallery. There is really no magic. Can we go
into my office for a moment?” They both entered Dayo‘s office and he offered the elderly man a seat. "Would you mind a cup of tea or coffee?" he asked as he walked to the small refrigerator in' his office. He brought out a packet of digestive biscuits and stopped... "No, coffee is better”.

Dayo prepared two cups of coffee and brought them to the table. He sat directly beside the man and started talking.

"As I said earlier, there is actually no special magic. You see, in the last two days, I have been happy and I have a feeling that I'll get happier. I met a very dear friend I had not seen for almost ten years and can you guess where? No, you can't! It was in this same gallery! But I have also noticed that workers here work as if they were machines and I felt I was being unfair to them if I am happy and they are not. I tried to find out that why people do not appear to be happy and I discovered that the daily stress they experience wipes away smiles from their faces even when they are well paid“. "Then what did you do?”

" I just decided to create a joyful atmosphere. Last night, I went with a Muslim friend of mine to an lslamic social gathering and the Muslim leader who spoke at the gathering repeated something I had heard several times from my pastor but which I never tried to practice. The man said that many people foolishly seek happiness in material things alone but they had forgotten that happiness is fruit of the heart and it cannot be bought, nor sought in material possessions. He said we could all try to put happiness in peoples' hearts by being happy and by refusing to be sad or angry whatever happens there and then I remembered that my pastor had said the same thing on a number occasions. I therefore came to the office today with a determination to be happy with everyone without reproaching, rebuking or finding fault with anyone. I did exactly that and see what has happened! The result is amazing! It has caused a change in the way I see others. As I was planning to change others, I myself too have changed".

”That's indeed a wonderful experience. It reminds me of my school days about forty-five years ago, my class teacher, Mr Komolafe used to tell us that the cheapest gift we can give is a smile. It costs nothing but givesmuch and it takes only a moment but its effect lasts forever".

"Hmm, that's very beautiful. I have discovered the truth in that statement today. Thank you so much sir for your time".

"No, no, no, l should rather thank you for allowing me to take your time. I'll like you to permit me to leave now. Thanks for the coffee and the discussion". ”It is my pleasure sir. Hope to see you some othertime. Thank you sir".

Dayo stood up as the elderly man rose to leave his office. He saw him to the door and called the manager of the gallery to inquire about whether there was going to be any special activity that morning. The manager, Mr Alade, replied that though there was nothing so spectacular that morning but that in the midday, pupils from Raz Kiddies Academy were coming to the gallery on an excursion and that it would be fine if he could spare some time to address them. Dayo answered that he would love to do so if there was no emergency that needed his attention elsewhere. Mr Alade thanked Dayo and left him to prepared the gallery for the events of the day.

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