A Smile

hey there, its Carmen. And this is post no. 1=)

A smile. It is said that, a smile costs nothing, but gives much. It enriches those who receive it, without making poorer those who give.

To me, I feel that a smile is a basic form of communication. Non-verbal communication, specifically. It is a form of body language, or facial expression. I believe that it is the first step in creating a friendship or relationship. How is this so? In the context of communication, a smile shows that you are open and approachable. Smiles exhibit warmth and affection. It displays the emotions of joy, happiness, pleasure and other positive feelings. So, for instance, when walking into a room full of unknown faces, what do we do? If we are looking to form new acquaintances, then we would most probably pick out a friendly and approachable looking face, offer a smile, and then hit it off from there.

I'm sure this is a common experience to all of us. I shall now illustrate an example. College. The first day of college is always a daunting experience. Everyone is anxious about their classes, but also, everyone is eager to make new friends. So, during my first class, I gave a quick glance around the room, eyes scanning for a friendly pleasant face, smiled, sat down, introduced myself and yay! Made a new friend. So I guess it is evident that smiling is a fundamental form of communication, as it comes before the act of introducing oneself and striking up conversations between one another.

Smiling is a simple gesture. It is something easy, isn't it? A smile takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. Personally, I think that this is true, that it only takes a couple of seconds to curve those corners of our mouths upwards. But, you can remember the smiles that others gave to you for a long time. Especially smiles from loved ones, such as our family and friends.

But, if this statement holds true, then why is it that some people are so unwilling to smile? There are many examples, but I shall now share this example of mine. I always join tours when I go on holidays. When you join a tour, you're not the only one in that tour, there are other people in the group as well. And you'd be stuck with them for the entire trip, which is at least (for the short tours) a few days or so, whether you like it or not. So, obviously, most people will try to make the best out of the situation. Look at the glass, as half-full instead of half-empty. Be nice to everyone else and try to get along as well as possible. But, there are just some people who are not friendly at all! Even when making eye-contact, they won't return your smile although you've smiled to them. It is inevitable, not to accidentally look into another person's eyes all through the trip. And its not like they'll warm up over the next couple of days, they'll remain hostile throughout the whole time. I don't know, I find it a little difficult. Not to talk, smile or exchange casual pleasantries with the people you know. In this case, its just awkward, because you go to places together for the whole duration of the trip. But, I guess everyone has their own reasons. We all have our own flaws.

Why should we smile? What are the outcomes of smiling? I think, that smiles create happiness, as the people who receive that smile will feel joy in their hearts. Next, smiling also brings rest to those who are weary and cheer to the discouraged. At times in life, we feel sad and blue. But, a smile from a loved one can help lift the weight off our shoulders, brighten our day, give us that small comfort or it can just simply help us get through the rough patches in life.

However, a smile cannot be bought, begged or borrowed. Especially smiles that are given out of sincerity. These smiles which are genuine and pure are just priceless. As said earlier, a smile costs nothing, but gives much. So, even when some people are too tired to offer you a smile, offer them one of yours, because this just goes to show that that person needs a smile more than you!Theres a saying that goes, 'smile and the whole world smiles with you'. So, why keep it to ourselves when we can choose to offer it to someone else and cheer up their day? It might make a difference in someone else's life. Or the start of a new friendship, perhaps? Wouldn't it be a waste of our lives if we frown all the time? So, lets all start by giving a new person a smile each day, we might find that it will help cheer us up too!