I Approve!

The Doors to My Private Elevator!

Sometimes, in this old world of ours, you hear a lot of people saying a lot of things. Sometimes these things are nice. Sometimes these things are mean. Sometimes these things are hard. Sometimes these things are soft. Sometimes these thing are critical. Sometimes these things are encouraging. Every day, somewhere, someone is saying something. It almost never ends! Sometimes I say things too. It’s important that people say things when they have something to say. I am lucky that I always have something to say and that what I have to say is always important.

What I am going to say today — now and whenever I see or speak to anyone today — is that I approve. That’s right, I approve. Someone showed me an orange this morning. I looked at it very closely. I looked at it very carefully. I could see they were watching to see what I would think of the orange they showed me. It was a small orange and very desiccated (which means dried out). They were shifting nervously from one foot to the other while I looked at the orange. Finally, I rendered my verdict: “I APPROVE!!!,” I shouted! The person with the orange was so happy and I felt so good!

That orange was the first domino of the day — the day of approval.

The next person I met was my elevator operator. He smiled nervously as I stepped into the car. He closed the door and grate behind me. “What floor, Mr. Lam?,” he stammered. I told him he could decide. I could see sweat appear on his brow and upper lip. He fidgeted uncomfortably as he scanned the buttons on the elevator control panel. Suddenly, his right index finger darted forth and press the “G” button, which would take the elevator to the ground floor of the main building in the compound. He looked at me expectantly. “I APPROVE!!!!,” I bellowed. He was visibly relived as he opened the grate and door to let me out of the car.

In the mood for some milk, I ambled over to the dairy barn where Farmer Grace was in charge. The dairy barn is so full of cows. So many cows. Cows, cows, cows and more cows. I explained to Farmer Grace that I wanted a nice glass of the FRESHEST milk possible. Right out of the cow! Farmer Grace smiled and told me it was milking time and that the little milk boys and girls would be arriving any second now to start milking. I was very very happy to hear this and smiled a smile that was a mile wide.

Within moments the dairy barn was filled with the happy laughing voices of the little milk boys and girls. The each grabbed their colorful little stools and buckets and ran to their assigned cow. But which one would be the fortunate cow whose milk I would soon be drinking? I could see this question was on the mind of the little milk boys and girls and Farmer Grace. “Farmer Grace,” I said, “You may decide which cow’s milk I will drink!”

Farmer Grace walked along the rows and rows of cows, looking at each one carefully. She tapped the shoulder of a big and beautiful brown cow. “This one,” she said, smiling at the little milk boy sitting on his colorful little stool. I raced over to where she stood and passed my special milk glass to the little milk boy. He took it from me carefully and with reverence. Then he began milking the beautiful brown cow, filling my special milk glass one squirt at a time. He handed the glass to Farmer Grace who held it up to the light to visually inspect its quality. Satisfied, she passed the glass to me. I looked at it for many thoughtful moments before bringing it to my lips.

I took a sip. It was fresh and warm and creamy and delicious. “I APPROVE!!,” I shrieked, then screamed it again for good measure. A loud cheer went up throughout the milk barn. Farmer Grace and the little milk boys and girls and the cows, they were all so happy! It was one of the most special moments of my morning — how wonderful it was!

Now I am getting ready to start my day and I am filled with the spirit of approval. I know that whatever happens today I will approve of it. It makes me so happy to know that I will like and enjoy everything that I experience today and that I will be able to use my words to voice my approval of all of these things. It is a rare freedom to be able to walk through the world with such a sense of happiness but it is one that I, ANDY LAM, am very familiar with. I hope that you will be able to find a way to approve things today too — but I hope no one tries to trick you (or ME!) by asking for approval of something really important that maybe you should think about before approving. I suppose that’s a risk I’m going to have to face; but you know what? Even if I do, I APPROVE!!

With kind words for all and a green light for everything, I am . . .

ANDY LAM!