This week I made it my mission to smile at 10 people a day (at least.) It was my simple way to bring a little joy into this world and brighten my day as well!
Oh friends, let me tell you. Smiling is my FAVORITE! (Did you just get a mental image of a grown man smiling in an elf costume? Ha! Made you smile!)
Its true, I love to smile. In fact, it’s hard for me not to smile at someone. Genuine smiles have no language barrier, no socio-economic status, no argumentative catalyst; in fact, I might go so far as to say that simply smiling could help you live a longer, happier life. (Hey, don’t take my word for it, the research agrees with me, too!)
So this week, I smiled.
And smiled.
And smiled.
There were times when I didn’t feel like smiling, but I did it anyway.
I looked up. I looked AT people, not through them or around them or in spite of them. I waited for their eyes to meet mine, even if for just a brief moment, then I smiled.
You know what happened next?
Every. Single. Person. Smiled. Back.
Every person! Every single one! Do you know how awesome that feels to have someone smile back at you when you smile first? I mean, it’s one thing to smile at people you know, students in your school, neighbors on your street. It’s a totally different ball game when you are smiling at random strangers!
But smile I did and they all smiled back.
THIS IS JOY!
After a week of smiling at people, I met someone whose smile was so radiant, I had to take a photo of her:
Meet Barbara. She works at the Wawa convenience store on Rt. 301 in Mechanicsville, Virginia, and she is overflowing with joy! I stopped in for #NationalCoffeeDay and she delightfully told me my cup of coffee was FREE in honor of the themed holiday! (Thanks, Wawa, for the wonderful act of kindness!)
Now free coffee can definitely make me smile. When Barbara smiled at me and said with the light lilt in her voice as she waved me away, “Your coffee is FREE! You’re all set! Enjoy your day!” my smile grew and I wanted to hug her. It brightened my day SO MUCH I actually got right back in line just to greet her again and snap her photo.
She was still smiling when I left the store.
Which made me smile even more.
How many people have YOU smiled at today? Do you believe in the power of a smile? I challenge you to smile at 10 people a day for the next week. Then you can report back and let me know how all those smiles multiplied and how many smiles were paid forward simply because you took a moment to make a small shift in your disposition.
Smile.
Smile big.
Smile often.
Embrace the joy of someone else’s smile.
You really do have the power to change someone’s day!
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