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The Energy of a Smile March 23, 2009

Posted by admin in : People Tags:, , , , , , 1 comment so far

The other day I was walking down a sidewalk in a shopping plaza feeling a bit down when this woman came walking out of a store, looked in my eyes and said, “hello” with a great big smile. Natural instinct had me smiling back, as my heart blossomed with a sense of peace. I didn’t even know this woman, yet her radiant spirit and warm smile completely turned my day around. Who knew something as simple as a smile could have made such a profound impact? 

I wanted the whole world to feel the same so I spent the rest of the day trying to share the love, but was not met with the same enthusiasm.  Most of the people I tried to smile at looked away before I even had a chance. The person either consciously chose to look in another direction or they were too lost in thought to even notice me, but that’s the society we live in. There’s so much mental chatter going on in our heads, we end up missing the journey because we’re so caught up in the daily grind of life and living.

I expect people in a busy metropolitan city to avoid eye contact, but not out in a beautiful park on a gorgeous day. There were tons of people, but most of them were missing the beauty around them, as the to-do list and responsibilities were being calculated behind the sea of blank stares. I just wanted to get everyone out of their head and in to the present moment by saying, “HEY! Look at this amazing day. Isn’t it beautiful?”

A lot of people looked unhappy, which was fine, as we all have bad days. Everyone experiences the full spectrum of emotion, but not everyone comes back to a place of settled peace, as some people’s normal emotional state is unhappiness. From there, they may experience joy, but then they go back to feeling down again. Why can’t we feel comfortable resting in a state of peace and happiness and from there experience the other lower emotions?

As the economy continues to worsen, more and more people are losing hope so we really need to open our hearts and breathe more compassion in to the world. We need to stay connected and present to those around us so if you see someone having a bad day and perhaps experiencing something other than joy, then perhaps you could share a little love by smiling at them. It’s a simple gesture, but one that is sacred and could make a difference in some one’s life so don’t think twice about it.

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