Smile With Your Eyes

This week, I made two new friends in random places and it added a lot a value to a normal day; in an average week.  Normally, I may be too busy or too involved in what is going on in my life to look up, look around and notice someone else in the same room and smile; really smile; like I wouldn't mind engaging in small talk.  It's amazing how easy it is to do and how gratifying it turned out.

As a newlywed, I moved from Pennsylvania to Texas.  The whole cold Yankee versus sweet southern thing is a little overdone I know; but truly my first experiences in Texas with strangers smiling and engaging in conversation was a little frightening at first.  I kept thinking to myself, "why are they being so nice"?  "What do they want from me"?  Then I got it.  They were just being nice, engaging and looking for conversation; nothing more; nothing less.

Now, on an airplane I struggle with engaging in conversation with the person sitting next to me.  Why?  Because I'm a total narcoleptic.  I know that as soon as the engine of the plane kicks in, I can't hold my eyes open.  It's a genetic gift.  Most of my family members are like this.  I think it's also a remnant from long rides in a station wagon with 7 people.  My mom would say, "if you sleep we'll get there much faster"; and somehow we taught ourselves that although the trip was never going to go faster (unless my dad punched the gas) it was easier and more pleasant to pass the time sleeping; than fighting or trying to figure out who passed the gas.

So, I mean it.  I felt so empowered by looking around and making small talk with what turned out to be two interesting ladies.  In the the Orthodontist office, there was the lady originally from New Orleans with a passion for Ettoufe and Beignets; and then at the pool there was the lady (who doesn't know she narrowly escaped me asking her to help me pull my tank down in the back; you know how hard it is to redress when you're a little wet from the pool?) who was in her early 60's and befuddled by the new back fat that her body was producing because she couldn't run anymore; had starting walking; and now was swimming to try to deal with the excess weight; but she was in the game to win it you could just tell;  I was inspired.

I might not feel like it every second of every day, but I'm going to try, really try, to smile all the way to my eyes; then I'm going to look around and see what happens; join me!