Fleeting moments that last, The Power of a Smile…

Ever think about the power of a smile? How one seemingly small act can have a lasting and positive effect?

I will always remember a specific moment in time when a smile changed my day.
I was older, in my middle-30s. I owned an IT business. For the most part, I loved what I did. It was different every day, I was not confined to an office, I solved problems and met people.

But, it was also stressful. I had employees to manage. Payroll to meet. Taxes to file and pay. Dozens of needling details to attend to daily. And in the IT business, many of my customers did not have much of a sense of humor or perspective when their network or phone system was down.

The day in particular was grim and grimy. It was mid-January, when I would do almost anything for some warm sunshine. I strode into a 7-11 store for a Coke. I was in a hurry, things were not going well, my mind was churning. I was not smiling.

The young girl behind the counter was smiling, however. And she spoke to me in such a pleasingly fresh manner, it was as if the warm sunshine I was seeking poured from her mouth. It, she, changed me in that instant. I relaxed, and the tension flowed from my body in a whoosh, dissipating into the stale air of the store. I smiled back, and thanked her.

As I walked out of the 7-11 and back into the chill of that January afternoon, it was no longer grim and grimy. It was simply planet Earth, a pleasant place to be alive. The rest of my day went very well.

Her smile has stayed with me. And, I have learned that my smile can have a similar effect on others, it is a contagion for the good.

Now, whenever I am down, whenever I am blue, I have learned to smile. And I remember that girl.