Since when did Paramatta Rd become Portobello Rd?

'Officeworks' is a haven. For me, it's an oasis of calm - a place of potential and endless opportunities for organisation and I could spend hours wandering up and down those colourful aisles (actually one night I did drive to an Officeworks in Wollongong because I new that particular place of refugee would be open all night...but that's another story). So you can imagine my excitement the other day when I ran out of printer ink and had the perfect excuse to head up to the one on Paramatta Rd. am I revelling too much of my personality here?).

Since it was a rare moment of sunshine in the week just gone I decided to brave the elements that could come and with a jaunty bounce in my step I was on my way. Let's be clear - I was in a good mood and was sure that there would be others that would be sharing my joy along the way. So I smiled at those that I past on my journey and... not one person smiled back at me! I couldn't believe it. As I approached my haven a man kindly stepped in and opened the door for me (gentlemen take note - this is still a nice thing to do) and I realised that at least here I would get one smile. But as I looked into his eyes to say 'thankyou' he abruptly looked away like I caught him doing something naughty. Mmmm, undeterred I wander the aisles for a good half hour (I could have stayed so much longer) made my purchase and headed back to see if the world had decided to start smiling again.

Apparently not.

It reminded me of when I love in London and used to catch the tube to work on Portobello Rd in Nottinghill (yeah the travel bookshop was across the road). After a couple of months I was so sick of grey, miserable looking people that I'd smile inanely at them just to annoy them (in retrospect it wasn't exactly gracious of me).

By the time I was approaching the Footbridge I was seriously doubting my capacity to cajole my fellow humans into ever smiling back. Then, just a little further down I spied someone coming out of a certain house on Arundel St that's opposite Sydney Uni - and out of a half hour walk, passing literally dozens of people, this was the only person to smile back at me. He was wearing a bright white t-shirt that had a green stripe across the chest and initials that looked suspiciously like 'E.U'. Gee, I wander what it was in his life that made him different...?



Moral of the story - when someone smiles at you this week, smile back!