By: Steve Leland
In fact, not only are they free but the more of them that you give away, the greater will be your supply.
And then there are those days when it seems like you couldn’t produce one to save your life.
In my opinion, the smile is absolute proof that we were created. The ability that we have to alter someone else’s mood by a particular form of grimace can only have been gifted to us by our Creator.
The other day I was told that the fact that I had smiled at a cashier had brightened her entire day. People had been, drip by drip, sharing a bit of negativity with her. Many not in all that bad of a mood, mostly just harried, but the cumulative effect was weighing her down. And then there were the ones in a truly bad mood.
So it all was stealing her joy, but just a smile and being treated kindly brought restoration to her soul. Something that I was totally oblivious of at the time.
I am reminded of the Butterfly Effect (where the stirring of the air by the flight of a butterfly can have a ripple effect and the progression of disturbances can cause a hurricane on the other side of the world). Hopefully she was able to pass that smile on.
The idea of matching the other person’s energy is something that is taught in sales. It is meant to be a positive thing, but all too often I find myself responding with less than positive energy when I am feeling negative vibes from the other person. I am making the mistake of treating them in a way that I wouldn’t want to be treated. How often is my perception of their mood skewed? That I am actually contributing to negativity when I think that I am only responding in kind?
As they say, sewage flows downhill. We must be careful about what we contribute to.
What effect has wearing masks had on us as a people? Fewer smiles being expressed or perceived? Maybe if you are in a sour mood it is a positive thing?
What effect has it had on the development of infants and toddlers to not be exposed to as many facial expressions as they normally would have been?
When you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours! It’s free, after all.
By: Steve Leland
April 19, 2024
