“That’s just the way I am… It isn’t up to me… I haven’t any choice… I’m destined to be glum.” Sound familiar?

The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen isn’t just a children’s book, oftentimes it’s a way of life. In this endearing book, a “pout-pout” fish wears a frown and meets a plethora of other sea creatures who range in response from encouraging the fish to smile more to calling his “hulky-bulky sulking” an unattractive trait. Eventually, the pout-pout fish meets a “bright and brilliant swimmer,” who instead of challenging the fish’s mood, plants a kiss on the fish and swims away. This small act changed everything for the fish. He began to rethink things, and he realizes that he doesn’t have to be a pout-pout fish—rather, he can be a kiss-kiss fish by simply flipping upside down, quite literally turning his frown into a smile. Now, he goes around spreading the “cheery-cheeries” {JOY} to everyone he meets. 

In life, we get to decide…are we going to pout-pout or kiss-kiss? The fish believed he was destined to be gloomy because his mouth wore a frown. When, in reality, his mouth could have been shaped like a frown or a smile, depending on his position. There have been and always will be difficult circumstances and unfair hands dealt to you, but just like this fish, you get to decide your reaction. You can let the chaos overwhelm you as your destiny, or you can choose JOY.

I love this silly children’s book so much because not only will that message PREACH, but so will the alternative plot…our reactions affect others. When someone around you is having a difficult time, how do you respond? Are you like the other sea creatures and dismiss the person as a “kaleidoscope of mope”? Or, are you like the bright, brilliant swimmer who acknowledged the suffering and chose to respond in joy? The swimmer never tried to force a smile on the pout-pout fish. She didn’t chastise him for losing hope or joy. She didn’t complain of his gloom dulling her shimmer. Rather, she took a chance…by extending joy AND validation, she positively impacted the pout-pout fish. Part of enjoying joy is spreading that joy to others, but what do you do when it is not well received? Instead of letting it rob you of your joy, be encouraged by this silly bedtime story that although we may never see the end result, our reactions matter! Acknowledge a friend’s pain by just simply listening or sharing a little kindness. It may just make tidal waves of difference in that person’s life, which can impact the lives of many others.