“Peace begins with a smile.”
Mother Teresa
What a beautiful quote, Spidey!
I’m all about the smile. That is me.
When I started uni, before we all got to know one another, I was known as ‘that smiley curly-haired girl from Birmingham’.
And, even now, you will rarely see me without a smile on my face. It may be small and contemplative or wide and manic as I navigate through a crazy day with the kids at school, but it is ever-present.
If you see me without one, you know that Ritu is broken, that day. That is very rare.
You see, I firmly believe that just the act of smiling can change the way your emotions are playing out in your mind. You can alter how you feel to a more positive direction with a smile.
And then there is the rest of the world.
I’ve always got a smile for others.
It is funny to see how strangers react, though.
A smile is the most natural form of communication, yet some people think you are a lunatic for smiling at them.
I’m not talking about a big toothy grin beaming its way to them, but just a small upturn of the lips. An acknowledgement, if you will.
A smile has started all manner of little connections in my life.
My favourite one is with John, an older gentleman. As I navigated the aisles in Asda one Saturday morning after dropping Lil Man at his football training many years ago, I passed the same faces as we all crossed each other’s paths multiple times. I’d smile if there was eye contact, but most of the time, most people’s eyes were either scanning shelves or looking down, just getting on with their shopping.
There was one man who beamed back at me every time. And after the third or fourth time, he stopped me. “Excuse me,” he said. “I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but thank you for the smiles. Nowadays, people don’t have the time or inclination to smile, and it makes a pleasant change.”
We would pass each other every Saturday for many months and always stop at some place for a chat. I learned about his adult children and wife, and he asked about my family. He met the kids on the odd shopping trip. One day, he said, “I have something for you!” He pulled out an old photo of a church and said, “You must show this to your son. This was his original school around 400 years ago!”
He asked how to send it to me, so I could show Lil Man. So we ended up Facebook friends, too! Over the next year or so, we would bump into one another and have a catch-up. I learned about his wife being ill, and he supported my blog and book release, too.
Obviously, Covid hit. Shopping trips were few and far between, but we still passed the odd message on Facebook. He lost his wife and has had bouts of illness, but we still stay in touch.
That’s the power of a smile.
So, Peeps, what are your thoughts on smiles? 😊
But I Smile Anyway... 
