The Power of a Smile

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How I love to smile! I really do. I feel such a rush when someone smiles back at me, there’s that (sometimes brief) moment of connection, of acknowledgement of the other, of shared humanness, of love, of positivity, of reassurance that we are different but still the same, of innocent complicity, of lightness…

I do have a bit of an obsession with smiling at people, when I'm walking and I see someone walking towards me, I make eye contact and have this urge to smile, however broadly or shyly, sometimes they reciprocate, sometimes they don't (to be honest, I used to be sad whenever they looked away and I wondered why they didn't smile back but in time I learnt that it is all ok, I can't force people to smile! I can only offer one and hope they'll feel the love I'm sending away). 

 So deeply committed to spreading love through smiles and creating those moments of connection (even if they are brief)! More than an obsession, I could say it is my true nature trying to show itself time and time again. I know that we are loving human beings who are connected to an infinite source of pure love and light and that we all come from that source, ALL of us. Regardless of gender, religion, nationality, political inclination, sexuality, values, and the endless list of labels, we all want to connect to someone, we want to feel part of something bigger, we want to feel loved and understood and want to walk our life paths with people by our side, be it right next to us or kilometres away (for a few years now, technology has enabled us to connect to those people far away, to stay in touch and to create bridges despite physical barriers and distance). 

I believe genuine smiles are more than just the moving of facial muscles, smiles have 'evolved' to break barriers and dissolve fear, they are 'white flags' conveying warmth and safety. It is known that a smile can literally change the perspective we have on life, it just takes a smile for us to be reassured that it will all be ok, that someone understands us or that someone wants to be our friend. Strangers become friends after a smile. We may not know it but this -sometimes voluntary and sometimes involuntary- movement of facial muscles known as a smile can create endless ripple effects. Even if sometimes we think or feel there is nothing to smile for, we are wrong. If we bring gratitude into the equation, there is always something to be grateful for, always! And that acknowledgement for all the good in our lives leads us to smile. (I'll write more on gratitude on another post).

It is hardly impossible not to smile when someone smiles at us but if, for example, we smile at a stranger and they don’t reciprocate that smile, we shouldn't take it personally. That person may not have smiled back at you because he/she was completely taken by surprise, for example. Do you ever wonder how many people live their lives without even being acknowledged or appreciated or shown love through a smile? 
It costs nothing to smile, yet it is worth so much, it is priceless. Even if you don't talk when you smile, you can still say so much. Smiling is contagious, seriously! The more you smile, the more you want to do it. It feels good to smile, even if you do it when you are alone. Smiling brings joy to our lives and reminds us that, despite life’s challenges, it is always going to be ok at the end, one way or another we are going to be fine and we will be able to continue living our lives, with every experience it involves.

Smiling does not necessarily mean that you believe life is a bed of roses, that everything is always absolutely perfect for you and that you never feel sad or angry. Smiling shows that, despite the difficult moments you may be facing at a particular point in your life, you still choose to see things with love rather than with fear, you choose to see the lesson in each situation, you choose to see the good things that challenging time in your life has brought you. It is up to you. YOU CHOOSE. 










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