How many people will you see today? Two or two hundred? You have the opportunity to share something with each person that you come in contact with-- yourself. The bit of yourself could be a smile, a short conversation, holding a door, or a long uninterrupted conversation without any electronic devices. We all have enough time to give to others. It doesn't take more than a second to smile. That person you pass in the grocery may not have spoken to any other person all day, maybe that few seconds you take to say hi, nod and ask how they are-- will be some of the best human contact they get today.
I had an awakening recently and became more aware of how I was projecting in those moments when maybe no one notices; Like the grocery store or walking down the halls of work. I realized I was only smiling when I saw someone but instantly went back to a sour face mainly because I had been suffering from migraines and was in pain. Now I find that I smile whether someone is there or not. Part of my new meditation is breathing and smiling during daily mundane tasks. I find a distant sound to focus on humming of the fluorescent lights or the running of a fan. And I am learning to shut out all other thoughts and just smile. Bliss. No thoughts. The ability to turn it off for short periods is like a massage for your brains cells. And the smile is the gift you give yourself and others because smiles are contagious as well as their byproduct-- joy.
I charge you to try and smile when no one is looking. Not because it is magical, it will not make you money or solve all of your problems. It may even hurt your cheeks a bit as you get used to this new exercise. But you may just start doing it without having to "force" yourself to do it. Or you may be smiling when no one is watching but secretly someone is. And secretly it made them smile to see someone doing some task like push a cart, just smiling. Happiness is all around us, we just need to make it be.
