Share A Smile

I heard them before I saw them.

Boisterous, infectious laughter filled the waiting room the instant the elevator doors opened.

The three friends spilled out into the somber room, a much-needed breath of fresh air.

I had been waiting for my mom to finish her appointment for the past 30 minutes. Seldom had I seen such a gloomy group, employees included. No one smiled. Everyone looked tense, tired, and gray under the florescent lights.

I realize that going to a doctor is nobody’s idea of a fun time, but these people seemed particularly morose to me.

The woman who was the patient was the cheeriest of the bunch. She wore a red hat with a jaunty feather festooned on the side. She said hello to everyone in the waiting room and had a particularly sunny greeting for the receptionist. This woman…who was formerly so sour-faced to every other patient…seemed taken aback by this woman’s bright light, but she quickly recovered and a smile spread across her face, softening her formerly harsh-looking features.

When the X-ray tech entered the room to call this woman’s name, she jumped right up and said, “I”m-a-comin!” She greeted the tech and asked if she was having a good day. The tech returned her smile and they chatted as they walked.

When the woman returned to the waiting room after completing her x-ray, she was still smiling. Her friends joined her at the elevator and one of them said something that caused them all to collapse into giggles. The woman caught my eye, raised her hand in farewell, and said, “You have a great day, Lady!”

I smiled in return and said, “You too!”

The laughter disappeared with the trio but the mood in that room was decidedly lighter.

This world can be a tough place. There is a lot of pain, hurt, and sorrow.

Today, be determined to shine your light.

Offer a kind word or a listening ear.

Give a compliment.

Lighten someone’s load.

Tell a funny story.

Smile.

“Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”—Mother Teresa