Today at the supermarket, I was smiling at a baby. The baby saw my smile and she smiled back. I did a few more times with older kids and they all smiled back. When I smiled at a few adults, no one smiled back. In fact, one of the young ladies gave me a dirty look. As we grow older, we somehow have lost the ability to smile. Society's expectation, peer pressure and life's challenges have wiped the smile off our faces. I feel the same weights on my shoulder. I know I hardly smile whenever I am walking as I am thinking about things that I need to do. Our problems will not go away whether we smile or not. Having a smile may not help your life, but a smile may give someone else hope. A smile is like lighting a candle. Inside you might be burning with stress and anxiety, but you are lighting up your surroundings. It gives calm and hope. A smile will not take away your problems but it makes it less painful for yourself and others. Smile a little. Give yourself a chance for a bit of calm.
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posts like this are fascinating because you see different lived experiences.
As a parent in the states, I live in a world where if people I don’t know are smiling at my kid I have to have alarms up - and it also doesn’t surprise me at all that “young ladies” being smiled at would return an unfriendly glance to a stranger smiling at them.
Everything this post says about the physical act of smiling and benefits is spot on but smiling at strangers and expecting a smile back ain’t it.