Smiles are amazing. Remember that old song "Smile, and the whole world smiles with you?" It turns out that the song, originally written in 1928 by Larry Shay, Mark Fisher, and Joe Goodwin, was exactly right. Recent studies show that if you smile at someone, they are likely not only to smile back at you, but to also smile at others they encounter afterward. One smile could conceivably travel the world!
These days, there's plenty to be glum about--potential job layoffs and cutbacks in Holiday giving just to name a few. All the more reason (while you're making decisions and adjusting to current situations) to share a warm smile with everyone you encounter. Not to pretend that the world is perfect, but simply as a way to share positive human contact. On a recent airline flight, I had to change carriers at the last minute due to a delay in the arrival of what should have been my flight home. I could tell the ticket agent was stressed (a stern look and a frown were my first clues) at trying to sort everyone out without making an error. I smiled as I explained my situation and asked for her help. That, and patience on my part as she sorted it through helped her end the transaction with a smile herself. She even chuckled and smiled at a fellow ticket agent. Who knows how far that smile travelled!
It's not about keeping a fake smile plastered on your face twenty-four hours a day. Just focus on a brief smile to each person you encounter during the day. Not only will it travel far and wide, it will warm your heart at the same time!
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