Hello everyone.

As I slowly get to grips with understanding the reasons behind my depression, I'm finding it easier to talk about.

I'm also a lot more comfortable sharing my experience with people at work, now that I'm lucky enough to be back in a place staffed with friends.

All of which, I hope, does a bit to help destigmatise the subject.

I've found the response to telling people I write for the blog as one of curiosity, at the very least. In fact, it's been great. They often want to know more about it, get the address, read a post or two.

One of those friends is a writer called Piers. We got chatting about the importance of feeling connected to the world around, which led to a conversation about the contagious nature of smiling.

As it turns out, he'd written an ad that never ran, but has got to be worth an airing. So here it is.

Why smile at ten strangers today?

Well, because you'll spread the good feeling, a little kindness... and you never know; maybe you'll inspire one of them.

And maybe that person then holds the door for a lady running for the train...

Which in turn, means that lady makes her big meeting and wins a new client...

And maybe that success inspires the lady to take her whole company out for a slap-up lunch...

...which inspires Kelly in Finance to cook a nice meal that evening for her boyfriend, Steve...

...Steve then realises just how lucky he is to have someone as kind and wonderful as Kelly...

And as he watches the sun streaming in through their window, he makes a decision.

Tomorrow, he'll go and buy an engagement ring and get down on one knee.

And the world just got a little bit better, all because you smiled at 10 strangers.

Much like the smiles, sharing our stories can help make the world a better place. So if it's within you, smile at a stranger or share your story and you just never know what you might start.

Mark

A Moodscope member.