When I was younger, I was afraid to smile at passers-by in case they did not smile back. I felt if I smiled and they didn’t, they were rejecting me. I would feel rebuffed and stupid for extending myself out there with a smile. The fear of rejection was so deep, that even up until very recently, my most common reaction was to hesitate to smile at just anyone. I would check first, to see if their eyes and faces were receptive.
Yet, in truth, it is probably the most stone-cold, frowning faces that need the most to be blessed with a smile. And we, You and I, have that to give, anytime, anywhere, for free to anyone we choose.
A smile, to one that rarely gets smiled at, can be life-changing. I remember the first day of a high school art class. I sat at a table by myself. Soon, a girl sat down opposite me. Our eyes met, and she delivered the most beautiful, genuine, kind-hearted smile. In that instant, her smile gave me everything I could ever want or need from another human being. Her smile said: “I see you. I acknowledge that you exist. You are worth knowing.” I never forgot that moment. The picture is still emblazoned on my memory.
This stranger affirmed that my presence there, in that moment, mattered. A smile given unconditionally has the extraordinary power to breathe healing light into the heart of another. It melts ice. It transforms cocoon to butterfly. Exchanged between two people, its power is multiplied. The resulting energy ripples outward, vibrationally raising the mood surrounding.
Let’s give our smiles away freely. We have an infinite source of smiles. They cost nothing, and yet their value to the receiver can be phenomenal, perhaps life-saving! I say it’s well worth the risk!
Power of a Smile © March 12, 2011 | Annie Zalezsak
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