A smile is monetarily free, right? Why then does it seem folks horde them like theyʻre gold? Share the wealth folks! I guarantee it wonʻt kill you or break the mood bank nor will your face shatter.
Sure we each have bad days and want to keep to ourselves or remain deep in thought. Certainly we donʻt all walk around with a perma-grin on our faces, folks may think weʻre nuts. Or they might just think weʻre nice. Egad!! At any rate, Iʻd venture to guess you can recall at least one of your bad days when a stranger smiled at you as they walked by and you smiled back. Remember? It lifted your spirits if only briefly. It didnʻt require conversation or physical contact but it reconnected you to the world. Momentarily brightened your bad or sad mood. Temporarily relieved a bit of stress?
I bring this up because a friend of mine is going through chemo. She commented on Facebook, "Do me a favor. Next time you see someone going through chemo, look them in the eyes and smile. I can guarantee you that even though theyʻre out and about, theyʻre still feeling crummy to some degree. Those smiles will make their day.". Sounds pretty simple, donʻt ya think? Step 1--you smile. Step 2--oh there is no step 2. VERY simple.
For the most part, I try to smile at someone I donʻt know when Iʻm at the store or wherever at least once a day. Partly to see if I can do it. Partly just to see if theyʻll smile back. Mostly because I think folks need to connect more and a smile connects us. My son will sometimes ask "who was that" and I shrug my shoulders and say "I donʻt know".
Admittedly, no oneʻs perfect and some days thereʻs no smile to be found. But think about it. A smile can be the gold in someoneʻs day. Share the wealth. Youʻll be glad you did.
