"Let your smile change the world,
but don't let the world change your smile."
Connor Franta
In spite of being a city dweller, a smile was routinely positioned on my face. Cautions like "stranger danger" did not exist, and so I readily exchanged smiles with those I happened to pass on a busy street. People readily returned a smile back to me, and it tended to lift my feelings.
When a child is having a melt down, I love to smile at the mom, silently expressing empathy. When the line seems endless and moving in slow motion, a smile can help diffuse building stress. A smile can be a gift offered to an elder navigating the streets on his or her own.
The gift of a smile costs nothing. It opens silent communication, portraying a kinder world. It is a recognition to imply, "I see you." The return smile brightens my day and removes some of the isolation felt in a solitary life. It is part of a language without using words, but instantly igniting connection.
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