We don’t have a window into the lives of the people we see each day or even the people whom we think we know reasonably well. But we do have the opportunity to be a bright moment in all of these people’s day.
A smile might take only a second or two of your time, but it could be the best second or two of someone else’s day. Sadly, many people can hide their pain from the entire world.
But your smile, even if it is not returned, will be a welcome sight to many. Knowing someone took the time to smile means that someone out there, even if it is a complete stranger, cares.
I absolutely love this, Kathy!!!!! I wish the whole world could read your post today and let it sink into their hearts and minds. A smile, even from a stranger, can positively affect the trajectory of one’s day. This brings to mind Henry David Thoreau’s timeless quote: “It is something to be able to paint a particular picture, or to carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful; but it is far more glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look, which morally we can do. To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts.” —Henry David Thoreau
A poem I wrote for a neighbor of mine with a very distinct smile:
Smile
A friend has a smile
That does not stop
She’s fighting the
Deadly C
With mere months to live
But her smile
Continues through it
I’m amazed
At her tenacity
And joyous reaction
To her
Obvious situation
Her response,
“I’m living like
I’m dying
Best to smile
Than bitch, moan or
SCREAM!”
I love seeing her about
Walking her dog,
Harry
Knowing that deep down
She may feel bad inside
She’s smiling on the outside
The world smiles with her….
Yes, Kathy, a smile costs us nothing but a second, but can be worth a million dollars to one who is in need of that smile at that moment. And to add a “Hello” or “Good morning” to the smile can add more worth than we will ever know, and is still but a trifle for us to do. Years ago I had a booth at a flea market, and there was an elderly gentleman who, when he was there, would always come to my booth to chat. He was a Christian and a very sweet man. He told me one day that the reason he came was for my smile. That was a blessing to me.