Sharing a Smile

A few months ago, I watched a Dolly Parton film, and her character said something that has stuck with me, which has often been attributed to Dolly herself. "If you see someone without a smile, give 'em yours!" This is worthy advice, for it is kind, and quite simple to accomplish. How difficult is it to smile at somebody who is looking rather downtrodden? Not difficult in the slightest, especially if one stops to consider the matter.

I think a big part of why this quote resonates with me is because it is something I have tried to enact myself. Whenever I am out and about and catch someone's eye, I always try to smile, particularly when the person is older. I remember many times after I was first injured, when I would be out shopping or running errands with my mother, one of the people I shared a smile with would say hello in response and my mom would always ask me if I knew the person. I would reply with, "No, I just smiled at them," and eventually she stopped asking, knowing I had a knack for soliciting salutations from strangers.

Giving my smile to the passersby.

Although this has been my practice, I am not sure that I ever thought about it in such a tidy parcel as Dolly Parton presented this practice. It was more of an instinctive act that developed out of my accident. My subconscious somehow concluded that we do not necessarily know what people are going through in their lives, and simple gestures of kindness and compassion, like a smile, can go a long way in brightening their day. I think I learned this through the variety of kindnesses, both large and small, bestowed upon me after I was injured.

Life is very complicated, and I think it Is very easy for people to get lost in their own problems and forget to be social with the people they pass in public that they do not know personally. Yet, it seems that if we were to engage in small ways with other members of our communities, we might all benefit from the greater sense of community which it fosters.

If somebody is unsmiling, for whatever reason, giving a smile starts an upward spiral. Psychological studies have shown that it is common for people to return a smile when someone smiles at them. There are also studies indicating that smiling can improve a person's emotional state; therefore, by helping to bring smiles to others you are potentially helping to relieve their stress, improve their mood, while fostering a sense of community. By lifting someone else up with a smile, you are doing something good for yourself as well, in a myriad of ways. In this digital age, where it is so easy to disconnect and dissociate from people, I think that it is even more imperative people try to connect with those around them when they are at the grocery store, gas station, or carrying out whatever tasks throw them into the paths of unknown people from their larger communities.

"If you see someone without a smile, give 'em yours!"

There have been occasions when people have offered small gestures, like a smile, which have completely turned around my day. I also know that whenever I smile at a random person, and they reciprocate with either a smile or greeting, it makes me happier, particularly when I am not in the best state of mind to begin with. Whether or not you choose to adopt Dolly's practice of giving your smile to someone without one, I know that I have personally felt the benefit of doing so from both sides. I love that I can now put a phrase to my longtime practice, and I am so pleased to know that the phrase comes from someone who is known for her kindness and generosity. Given her recent loss, I know that Dolly Parton could benefit from a few smiles being sent her way, and I hope that by sharing her words of wisdom that her practice of sharing a smile spreads, adding a few more happy faces in the world.