Smiling is Caring (because it rhymes!)

A few days ago, I was sitting in the front seat of my brother’s car. It was rush hour on a really hot, sunny day in Santo Domingo; one of those where no one wants to go outside because of the heat makes people sweaty, sticky, and irritated. My brother and I had to go to my aunt’s house to pick up my other brother, Piky. We were on a red light that had turned green four times but we hadn’t moved one inch in 20 minutes because a useless traffic agent (AMET) was directing the transit instead of the perfectly functional street light. The radio was on playing reguetón, my brother was leaning against his window and I against mine. We were both really miserable and barely spoke to each other – only once, to complain about picking up Piky…

While staring blankly out my hot window waiting for the AMET to let us move forward I spotted a little girl sitting under the sun, on the sidewalk watching the cars on the road. Her hair was messy, she was covered with dust from the road and not wearing much clothes. It was obvious that she was one of the local beggars of that road, but at that moment, it seemed as if she was taking a break from work; the sun was draining. When I saw her, she saw me too… I stared straight at her, not realizing what I was doing because I was still daydreaming, but her smile brought me back to reality. Yes, she smiled at me, for no reason! I had no choice but to smile back at her because…. I honestly don’t know. It was genuine and contagious, and it brought both joy and guilt to my heart. Why wasn’t I the one smiling at her?  I was sitting comfortably under the roof of a car on my way to somewhere; she was under the sun, in the street, with no plans to leave the dirty road. Why was she smiling? She was smiling because, as small as they may be, there are always things to be happy about. The little girl taught me a lesson and brought joy to my heart with just a smile. So I smile and hope that, like that little girl, my smile can plant happiness, satisfaction, or optimism in the heart of others.

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A little smile cheers up the heart, maintains a good mood, conserves peace in the soul, contributes to good health, beautifies the face, triggers good feelings, inspires behavior. Why not try it?

Count… the number of smiles that return yours in a single day. That number represents the time that you have planted a spark of happiness, satisfaction, optimism, or confidence in the heart of others. 

Your smile… can bring new life, hope, and courage to those who are tired, desperate, worried, or to those who just are.

-Translation from “El Secreto de la Sabiduría Humana”