The Best Handbag Has No Zip

What is the most important thing to carry with you all the time?

If you ask me what I carry with me all the time, I’ll skip the usual suspects — phone, keys, wallet — and instead tell you about my invisible essentials: kindness, empathy, and a smile. They weigh nothing, take no space, and yet somehow, they always fit the occasion.

Kindness is like a multipurpose tool — it can fix a frown, unlock a conversation, and even repair a bad day. “Kindness is free, but it makes you feel richer every time you spend it.”

Empathy is my emotional GPS. It doesn’t just tell me where someone is; it tells me how they feel there. It makes me slow down when someone’s struggling and celebrate louder when someone’s winning. “Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another.”

And then there’s my smile — the universal passcode to friendliness. It’s the cheapest cosmetic and the easiest icebreaker. I’ve used it to greet strangers, disarm tense moments, and once, to get an extra scoop of ice cream. (True story.)

The beauty of these three? They never run out, never go out of style, and never get outdated by technology. They’re also surprisingly contagious — hand them out, and you’ll watch them multiply around you.

Thought to ponder:
If your presence doesn’t make someone’s day a little lighter, are you really carrying the right things with you?