The Smile Stash: How I Built This

It has been two weeks since our help left. I found myself alone at home on a Saturday morning as the star dad of our household took the girls to Starbucks. I turned the radio on and attempted lunch prep, kitchen clean up and loading the dish washer- activities that I lost even the muscle memory of. I caught the tail end of this show, How I Built This, with Guy Raz. I could not catch who Guy was talking to nor the details of what he built. But it was clear that this guy built something and he turned out to be quite successful.

This successful entrepreneur (that I don't know the name of), said something that caught my attention. He said that when he first started making his product, he was lucky that he got a lot of good press about it. Good press brought more clients and investors that in turn resulted in even better press. The circle continued and that the rest is history. If he did not get that initial stroke of luck with good feedback for his product, he said, his product would not have enjoyed the kind of success story it has today.

Later this afternoon, my older daughter, Raaga, had given a dance performance at a local Malayalam Association event, Sworam Keralotsava. My camera memory card got corrupted minutes before her group's performance and I frantically clicked some really bad cellphone pictures while they were on stage. After the performance was over, I packed up the now useless camera into my giant bag and began to rush out to the back of the auditorium to meet up with the girls. Just as I was about to leave the auditorium, I heard the Sworam president call Raaga onto the stage. Last summer, Raaga had helped raise money for Sworam (link) to be sent to Kerala (India) following the aftermath of the heavy floods Kerala had endured. The Sworam president said they wanted to recognize Raaga's efforts, presented her with a trophy and hoped that Raaga continues to take up such kind endeavors in future too.

Raaga was obviously thrilled with this whole thing. She readily posed for all the pictures I asked to take. Her normal response would have been: I am too tired, you clicked a million pictures already, why do you always take pictures?, etc. I am confident that if I told her we are doing another fundraiser lunch tomorrow, she would emphatically go for it.

It all comes down to all those people that told Raaga that she did a good job, every time she did do something good. If they did not say so, she would have stopped fundraising after the first time. If I ever were to get a chance to talk to Guy Raz in (very distant, likely made up) future, and talk about Raaga in the "How I Built This" style, I am confident that today's little dangling carrot that Sworam threw at her in the form of the trophy would make the backbone of my talk.

Just for that reason alone, I convince myself that it is cool to brag about your kids on social media. Like I am doing right now. You never know what or who inspires the kids and when, right? :)