You’ve heard that question, “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” Maybe, maybe not. I wasn’t there, so I don’t really care.
But, I was reminded of it last week when Charlie and me were out walking Cora, and we were passed by a jogger coming the other way. He’s this guy from away who moved in down the street. We see him out jogging quite a bit. Meaning, it’s not like we’re strangers.
So I do what I usually do when we see people on our morning jaunt. I smile and say, “Good morning!” I may even throw in, “Beautiful day, huh?” That kind of thing.
And for whatever reason, this guy never smiles back or says “hi” or acknowledges my greeting in any way. Whatsoever. It’s bizarre!
So we keep walking, and I says to Charlie, “Well, that was a wasted smile.”
“Ah, you don’t know. Maybe he’s just having a bad day.”
“What? Every time we see him? I know he’s got those ear thingy’s in, he’s listening to something, doesn’t want to be disturbed. But come on! You can give a little wave or something, can’t you? Acknowledge your neighbors? Sure you can.”
But later, I got to pondering what I said, and I’m like, Hold on a minute! Can a smile really be wasted, Ida? Well, I come to the conclusion, no, it can not. ‘Cause smiling makes you feel good. I looked it up. It does something to your brain that I don’t really get, but scientists say that the shear act of smiling makes you happier, even if you weren’t feeling happy to begin with. It don’t stop there. These researchers say smiling does just about everything for you that you can think of except make your bed. It helps you feel less stressed, gets you outta your funk, lowers you blood pressure and even boosts your immune system. You can get those same things from exercising, but, seriously?
‘Course, I think in order to get the true benefits of smiling, you gotta be all in. You have to turn on your light. Meaning, you need to smile with your whole face, including your eyes. I’m sure you’ve seen those folks where their mouth is smiling, but their eyes are not. Yes, we’ve all had bad days, but that’s just spooky!
I wonder if there’s some people who go through their whole life without turning on that light. You know, like a computer in constant sleep mode, reserving their energy. For what, I ask? Smiling is like plugging in and recharging your mind and body.
In fact, with all the daily smiles I dole out, on our morning walk (including to the cars going by), at Cora (who is my happiness coach; just looking at her makes me smile), and all the smiling I do as a cashier down to the A&P, I’m like an elite athlete. Just the thought of that makes me smile.
That’s it for now. Catch you on the flip side!
Hear Ida Tell It: A Wasted Smile