The Smile

Dear Lady-with-the-smile,

You may not believe this, but I haven’t forgotten you, the way joy seemed to bubble out of you, or how you looked me in the eye and gave me a wide smile. Thank you; it’s a gift I treasure. It’s always nice to have someone smile at you, but on that day, your smile meant even more.

You see, I’d recently been convinced of the power of a simple smile, and how it’s an easy, yet powerful, way to share hope and care. So that day, I was in the city shopping, but with the intention of smiling at people. 

 

I smiled at a teenage girl I passed on the street. She met my glance for a moment, with confusion and perplexity across her face, before looking away. She didn’t know how to respond, and I couldn’t help but think, You mean, she’s never been smiled at by a stranger before? 

Next I found myself at the mall, where there were lots of people to target. But, I came to realize that people rarely make eye contact any more. The hardest part was catching someone’s eye so they knew my smile was especially for them. Most people wouldn’t look up. Some did, but as soon as I smiled or looked at them, they averted their eyes. Those who did ‘receive’ a smile continued on cold-faced like they didn’t want to accept it, looked at me like I was sketchy, or simply looked away. No one in the entire mall returned my smile.

I walked outside, slightly discouraged, and going home. I guess I just did what everyone else did: put my head down and walked on. But then I had cause to look up, and I saw you. I didn’t even think to share a smile with you; I was busy thinking of other things. But you were smiling, a big laughing smile. You looked happy and joyful. And you looked at me and smiled. I returned your smile, we walked past each other, and that was that. But you did for me what I was trying to do for everyone else. You boosted my spirits, you made me feel special. You made my day, and planted a memory I’m determined not to forget. You proved to me that there is still good in the world, that beyond everyone’s mask is a real live human being. You showed me the power of a smile. 

I’ll probably never see you again, but I just want to say: keep smiling. It might seem like no one notices, but I did. It might seem like a smile could never make a difference, but it did for me. And I want to say thank you, because now I’m convinced; smiles can change the world. 

Jessica :)