Smiles for free!
For the past 24 hours, I’ve been on a mission. I decided that I would flash a smile at every person I made eye contact with. Everyone. Wherever I went.
I learned a few things:
- It isn’t easy
- A lot of people don’t make eye contact
- People are not used to having strangers smile at them for no apparent reason
I am not going to lie; it was awkward. Some people did a double-take before smiling back – and some people didn’t smile back at all (though, they were few).
Mostly, people smiled back at me and seemed to genuinely appreciate that I had acknowledged them. I exchanged a few hellos and how are yous and it felt really good to connect with complete strangers whom I will likely never see again (or remember).
It was an amazing experiment. It felt good to smile for 24 hours. It felt good to make other people smile. It felt good to connect. I recommend it. I will probably do it again tomorrow… and the next day. Maybe not everyone, but everyday!
Smile!
