The magic of the smile
It was a spring morning, the kind you think about; “Good! The cold is over and the good weather is coming”. I was sitting on a bench in Barcelona’s Rambla Catalunya, thinking about what my wife calls “first world problems“, like my daily stress.
I was watching people go by, some at full speed, others with turtle rhythms, head down, almost all with long faces, faces of concern, thinking about their problems, not realizing that every day is a gift, that only with living in the first world we are fortunate … If I had to look for a “common denominator” would be: None smiled. They seemed unhappy, apathetic, unaware of the fate they had …
Suddenly, in a corner I saw an old woman, very old, dressed in rags. He held a stick in his hand and opened the trashcans to see what he was finding.
Without thinking I approached her, I crouched down to see that I was picking something up off the floor and I said:
– I think this has dropped … – I opened my hand and a 20-euro bill appeared.
I handed it to her; she took it with trembling hands and her face lit up in a way that I almost burst into tears. Her smile was magical, despite missing enough teeth, it was the most wonderful smile I had ever seen in my life; I suppose she was imagining the food that was going to be given, or perhaps the shoes or the blanket that was going to be bought … (I think that she and I knew that it had not fallen out of her pocket).
That smile changed my life.
When we are children we are always happy, smiling,… It seems that with age the muscle of the smile loses strength; our facial lines deteriorate and we pass to a permanently blank face …
From that day I go out with my best smile. Smile at life; the smile is contagious! Soak up Positive Energy! This one is also contagious!
If you go through life with a smile, you will see that those around you also smile and at the same time those around them too …. Dare to have the eternal smile of children and you will change the world!