Recently, I had a school composition to write for english class, entitled "a significant occasion in my life".
This really caused me to think, and raised questions in my mind. The main question was, and I would like you to ask yourself this question also, what is a significant occasion? What is an occasion to me?

To me, a significant occasion is simply any event, great or small, which touches our lives and changes us - for better or for worse. An event that really makes us stop and think about where we are in life, and what we really want.

A significant occasion does not have to have all of the grandeur associated with a wedding,or all of the planning associated with a holiday. Indeed, I believe that the most touching, significant occasions in our lives are the small events that may go unnoticed to many others. Perhaps a tiny act of kindness from a stranger, or just noticing something in nature that you have never before noticed.

I would like to share with you one event that was significant to me recently.

The week before Christmas. Battling through the crowds on a busy shopping street attempting, somewhat unsuccessfully, to finish off my present-buying.

I walked down the street, and as another person walked into me, followed by a crushing foot-stamp from another, and then a thump of a shopping bag, I began to think. Why was it, I wondered, that the week before Christmas, as everybody finished their shopping, that the "Spirit of Christmas" was nowhere to be seen? Was it too much to ask that everybody would delay their busy selves for a fraction of a second to walk AROUND others, instead of THROUGH them? Was Christmas just a joke to our society, simply a materialistic occasion where the most thought was given to who got whom the biggest presents?

As I pondered, my gaze was drawn to a spot high above the heads of the frenzied shoppers milling on every side. My gaze was drawn to a roughly-written, handmade sign a few hundred meters down the street.

This was no ordinary, "50% sale" sign. Nor was it advertising half-price turkeys. No, this was a sign, held by human hands - a sign that simply read "free hugs".

Being a curious person, I walked on, closer to the sign. And as I got closer, I saw that there was not only one, but there were three signs, held by three young men.

Walking up to the young men were the frenzied, handbag wielding shoppers who had no doubt maimed many people along the way. As each person walked up to the men, they were given a hug.

My friend and I turned to each other, and nodded. With that, we pushed through the crowds and joined the queue for the free hugs.

When it came to me turn, I was given a hug by one of the young men, who smiled and wished me "merry christmas". I had to ask him - "why are you doing this?" - He looked at me, and simply said, "we wanted to make people smile. Look, you're smiling!"

We've reached the end of a significant occasion in my life. You may wonder, what was so significant about a hug? We return to my definition of a significant occasion. Any event, great or small, that changes our lives. Perhaps a simple act of kindness from a stranger.

On another day, maybe I would have walked past those men without a second thought. But it was just as I was becoming disillusioned with our society, and with it's morals and values, that this occured.

I've never seen those young men again, I cant even remember their faces. I don't believe I ever will see them again. But I know that they will remain forever in my memory - the faceless, selfless strangers who gave up their time to put a smile on the face of others. I was only one of the many people who walked away with a smile, and I know that those men made my day.

Think of this - a simple act of kindness - and the effect it had on so many people. Wouldn't the world be a better place if we could all have this desire, to make people smile?

We return again to my question - what is a significant occasion for you? I'd love to hear other's views on this.

Thank you.