From the book Pause: The Secret to a Better Life, One Word at a Time.
You’ve been influenced by a smile, haven’t you? A genuine, sincere smile? A humble, joyful smile? A fitting but surprising smile? A real but holy smile?
From a picture. From real life in real time. From a young child. From an elderly friend. From a waitress, a nurse, a counselor, a co-worker, a spouse, a child, a grandchild, a stranger in the audience, a driver in a traffic jam. Unexpected, unforced smile. Not political. Not demanding. Just a smile.
Smiles have the power to disrupt a mood. They have the potential to redirect a mind-set. They have the tendency to cause others to join in and smile along with the one initiating that mood.
Choosing to smile even when struggling to survive isn’t a bad idea. Not a fake, they’re-taking-my-picture smile. A true smile, even if a small smile—realizing life offers hope no matter what pain we’re enduring. A smile with valid reasoning behind it—realizing there is more than evil all around us; there is good all around us.
Look at that person smile.
Be that person who smiles.
I don’t know who else will see your smile, but I believe you will influence yourself. And that’s not a bad idea.
