It has been said that it takes fewer muscles to smile than it does to smile. And yet, you don’t get a lot of them from strangers as you go about your daily routine.
I remember walking along Orchard Road one day on my own. I was waiting to meet my mum and I had about an hour to spare. It was a hot and humid afternoon (ever so typical of Singapore’s weather). The heat, coupled with having so much time with nothing much to do, I became frustrated and highly irritable. However, this all changed unexpectedly. It happened just as this stranger, in his late sixties, flashed me a great big smile. At that moment, I smiled too and lifted my spirits. Once again, I’ve been struck by the power of smiling. It really is contagious, I thought. Thank you stranger for your therapeutic smile!
On a separate occasion, I was on the bus on my way home. I looked up and saw this lady who was in her late forties. I smiled to her. Unfortunately, I wasn’t returned with a smile. She had a look of disgust and ridicule on her face, probably thinking there was something wrong with me up there (i.e. in my head). It was sad and I actually felt embarrassed having smiled at her. I know I shouldn’t be. So I decided to try again. This time, I smiled at a little girl. She smiled back with the sweetest of smiles and an innocence of gaze. I do not know if the little one was aware of her actions, but it made me feel really happy and fuzzy inside.
Mother Theresa once said, “Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing." So this is what I am going to do, I am going to smile a lot more, to spread the joy and share the love. I encourage everyone to do it. It isn’t too hard to do. And it would make the society we live in a more friendly and sociable one!
So let’s flex those facial muscles, people! SMILE!!!
