Smile - And Serve Pasta

Growing up we hated television commercials – those horrible interruptions to our glued-to-the-device intake of entertainment. I still feel that way, especially when some of these creations seem to be strobe-lights-of-images flashing so quickly that your mind (mine anyway) cannot grasp what might be happening.

However, several times I have pointed to television commercials that have moved me, made me think about principles, or even generated an emotion or two. The irritation of the general term can easily be ignored when a beautiful song is incorporated into a reason-for-life lesson along with the commercialization of a product.

For years, I have usually chosen this blue box for my pasta needs. I’m not even sure why this is true. I have not analyzed whether it is one of the best choices for taste and value. I have no idea if I was influenced because the product has demanded more shelf space in the market. I have no idea if my choice was made due to subliminal manipulation planted sometime in the past. Maybe it was because of this commercial? I can’t say that with any certainty either.

But here’s what I know. The advertisement made sense visually as the offer of warm pasta signified an offer of a warm and loving heart. The simple ballad sought to do the same reminding us that sadness can be temporary, that people surround us with love. They provide the nourishment that allows our body and our soul to be healed and to rise above.

This is what it means to love and be loved. This is what it means to lift up one another.

"Smile, without a reason why
Love, as if you were a child
Smile, no matter what they tell you
Don't listen to a word they say
Tears, a tidal wave of tears
Light that slowly disappears
Wait, before you close the curtain
There's still another game to play
And life is beautiful that way."

Barilla Presents: What can you say without words?

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40

From Noa (Achinoam Nini) - Beautiful That Way (La vita è bella -The Official video clip with lyrics)