I am amazed and astonished at the high levels of creativity and innovation that we are surrounded with. This combination of innovation and creativity often makes me look foolish and outdated, as I often embarrass myself refusing to accept at face value that a thing like that could exist.

Let me share an incident that had me stop and talk to a stranger, to clear my doubts and once again expose my ignorance. Last week on my bus ride to work I noticed a youngster on the seat next to me lip singing one of the latest chartbusters, earphones plugged in, he seemed to be drowning in the joys of his music. Nothing unusual in that! What bothered me most was a COCA-COLA can precariously placed in the small compartment at the side of his back-pack. It was an open can! Every time the bus went over a speed breaker or slowed down at a signal or at the designated stop and started again, I expected some of the cola to spill out and over me. A greater part of the distance to office still to be covered, I was apprehensive and on tenterhooks to say the least. I made eye contact with him and mouthed,” travelling with an open COCA-COLA can was not a bright idea”. You can imagine my horror when he unabashedly took out the can and overturned it on me. It was his expression that prevented me in shouting out in horror, an expression that communicated “watch, it’s cool”. His earphones were plugged into the can. The can was his carry-on music system! He was listening to the radio.

I remembered the COCA-COLA advertisement that read “Open a coke, open happiness” With this can it could rightly be said “Switch ON a coke and stream happiness”. The COCA-COLA can was a complete music system that served as a Blue tooth speaker, was a FM radio, had a Micro SD slot and calls could be received whilst the system was on. What a well-conceived and complete device!

For me, music is therapy. It has always helped me clear my head whenever I have been in doubt, cheered me up, lifted my mood on my down days. Carrying the Coca-Cola Can with me always would be like carrying my happiness around with me. I decided that, that little can was to be my companion too. There was something with that red and white can that was refreshing and just brought on happiness.