“Hey! I Just Want to Have a Second With You...”
If you ever need a quick attitude adjustment, just play the song “Happy” written and performed by Pharrell Williams. You’ll be up and on your feet with a huge smile on your face within seconds of hearing the chorus “clap along if you think happiness is the truth, because I’m happy!” I have been using the song this month in my Qi Gong for Breast Health classes and it is perfect for a pre-routine warm-up. It’s been hard to get the catchy lyrics and beat out of my head which is one of the reasons why a recent video of Pharrell performing “Happy” at a children’s hospital fundraiser immediately caught my attention. The video clip features Pharrell’s performance, but he is most definitely not the star of the show. That title belongs to an extremely sweet nine year old girl named Eliana who is a patient at the hospital and was pulled on stage to dance during the song. Her exuberant attitude and lively dance moves impressed the crowd and then she asked Pharrell to hand her the microphone. Take a minute to watch the video to see what happened next....
Eliana’s lovely and articulate outpouring of gratitude for Pharrell is enough to cause even the Grinch’s heart to grow. When she looks into Pharrell’s eyes and says “Hey, I just want to have a second with you”, he is overcome with emotion and I am guessing there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Their microphones got turned off and they had a brief, private moment even though they were surrounded by hundreds of people. What a beautiful and touching scene!
How many times have you wanted to “have a second” with someone but perhaps you were too shy to ask for it? I think we can all learn a lesson from little Eliana...when given a golden opportunity, we should do what she did and seize the microphone and the moment.
As a society, we are less social than ever before. Instead of actual “face-time” with people whom we love and admire, we use our devices to keep us connected. Researchers are quick to point out that if we want to live a long, healthy, and fulfilled life, (and increase our chances of reaching the age of 100) we need to have a “clan”. We need to make time, even if it is “just a second” to have personal connections and surround ourselves with people who love and support us. Our mission should be to try to have as many touching and meaningful moments as we can pack in a day.
When you watch the video of Eliana and Pharrell, it is easy to see that although their exchange was brief, an indelible mark has been left on both of their hearts. It makes me want to “have a second” with everyone I know and love. There is no better time than now to begin. Let’s each make a point of asking our loved ones for their time. We can call it “Operation I Want to Have a Second” and see just how “happy” we can get!! In the words of Pharrell, “clap along if that’s what you want to do!”