Teacup Simone

What will it hurt you to smile a little???

When I was in New York, I was walking up to the apartment building where I was staying and saw an old lady with the meanest face I had ever seen. She looked so upset & angry. As she walked past me I had the brief decision to either look away or to smile at her. I made the decision quickly and opted to not only smile at her but I also said “Good Evening.” She kind of winced at me and kept walking. As I neared the apartment, someone pulled my hand and it was her. She started crying and said to me that her son had passed away the night prior. At this point she had tears streaming down her face and I couldn’t do anything but to hug this stranger in the middle of the street. She went on to say that my smile brought her comfort. And apologized for not smiling back. She thanked me profusely before she walked away. You could tell she was slightly embarrassed about hugging me for such a long time. I honestly didn’t have any words nor did I know what to say. I was just stunned and had many tears myself. I’ll never think twice again about giving a random person a smile. Especially after getting a response like that. Shortly after that incident, I came across the quote below:

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”

— Leo F. Buscaglia