The Smiley Woman Who Would Not Leave Me Alone: Can Smiles Have Any Affect On Others?
Posted: Wednesday, June 09, 2010
by Fran Larson
http://www.franniesquotes.com/
Have you ever had someone smile at you at a time when everything seems hopeless? Maybe it is the darkest of dark days and yet that smile gives you a tiny bit of hope. Sometimes, when you smile, a person will smile back at you. Another time, you may get the cold shoulder. Then again, I live in a small town where not only smiling but also interaction with others is common.
Suddenly, a smiley, middle-aged woman appeared. She drove her car slowly beside me and called out, " Did you lose your car? "
" Yes, but I ‘m sure it is probably in the next aisle. "
I wanted her to go away because I was embarrassed. No matter how long it took me on my own, I just didn't want anyone to know I couldn't find my car. I kept walking and much to my relief, I didn't see the smiley woman.
Just about the time I had turned into the next aisle, she appeared again.
" Still can't find it, honey? I've done the same thing myself. What kind of car is it? "
I told her the make and model of my car while thinking, I wish she would leave me alone. This is so embarrassing.
Well, the nice smiley woman would not leave me alone. She crept away in her car, and then appeared again in a couple of minutes.
" I found it, honey. Its two aisles down. Want me to take you there? " Still feeling embarrassed, but relieved, I thanked her more than once and gave her a big smile. She wasn't about to give up until she had found my car!
For sure, this smiley woman made my day. I won't ever forget her persistence in finding my car.
I wonder if smiles could be like The Butterfly Effect? " The flap of a butterflys wings in Brazil can set off a storm in Texas. Isn't that an amazing statement? Physicists call this theory " The Butterfly Effect " to explain how the breeze produced by a butterflys wings could set off a series of reverberations that over time have a tremendous affect on weather patterns thousands of miles away. Now imagine the impact of millions of butterflies... " (From Care2.com)
If we changed the wording some, it would read: The Smile Effect: A smile could set off a series of reverberations that over time have a tremendous affect on peoples lives thousands of miles away. Now imagine the impact of millions of smiles.
It doesn't have to be a human being smiling at you. It could be something in your house or outside is smiling at you. If you are wondering what I am talking about, check out this web site: http://www.spontaneoussmiley.com/
Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day. ~Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
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Top-level comments on this article: (10 total)Great article Fran. I remember when I was learning to change my lifestyle and I told my friend I had nothing to give to others she said you always have a smile to give and that was the beginning of changing my whole life. God bless you Fran. Your gentle spirit always shows through in your articles. Thank you for sharing.
You have done it, again; a vunerable peek into your heart.Such introspection forces open the reader's own inner doors for a personal peek inside and It's a twofold gift for the reader; we can leave our skull's confinement and enter into another's mind's fragile thought processes.This article opened a horrid door I had long since locked shut.A Russian childhood lesson drummed in my eight year old ear, by my Russian grandmother, seems too macabre a slant to place on this article's prescriptive 'smile' therapy outlook.As a child, I was taught that a stranger's unsolicited intrusive friendly smilely face, in your face, is precisely the way that serial murderers operate. It's a "tool" that they use.Murderers, I was taught, who kill unsuspecting women and children in states and move on uncaught are total strangers who presume an instant oily, smarmy familiarity that victims do not recognize as inappropriate affect and a potential hazard..Such serial killers, (and serial, means ,successful,) use that very precise" would not leave me alone" big smile and engage in unsolicited sociability to disarm -and charm-, like a serpent to disorient their victims who clearly never see it coming.A smile can turn the world into a safe and joyous and wondrous place or one that is replete with danger and lethal .Thank you for your winning article that opens so many doors and thoughts within me. Affection,Paul
I think a smile, if it comes from a genuine place, is a truly heart-warming event! As is your article, Fran.
The woman who found your car is a real sweetheart. I believe smiles are contagious. It makes my day when I am on the receiving end of one. I smile at people but also on occasion, I lock eyes. For an instant, you feel like there might be a connection to be made, or that someone will understand you. But then the moment is gone and you move on. l enjoyed this article Fran.
amazing. One of the beautiful pieces i have read lately. Keep spreading the cheer.Abhy
Fantastic article. I can certainly relate to a smile being contagious. I have had this happen to me many times in my life, it is a blessing. Maybe it is really "the butterfly effect".
Nice Article,i have found in todays society people just do not seem to have the time to help out each other its all about me,me,me unless they want something off you in return.
Nice Article,i have found in todays society people just do not seem to have the time to help out each other its all about me,me,me unless they want something off you in return. Its nice to know that the smiley woman wanted to help you find your car,if there were more people like this in the world it would help,after all a smile does not cost anything.
Enjoyable reading pleasure! Smiles are the beautiful gift of God to the mankind! And it keeps you happy and healthy. Oftentimes, people complains, I smile a lot... But I do never mind.Happy.
Fran, such a beautiful article. I would like to share with you a synchronicity I just experienced with your article. I am currently writing a children's book which offers some of the most reflectivce quotes of of our day. I noticed your quote concerning smiles by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. which is a quote I have chosen for my book. I love synchronicities in life! It is now my turn to tell you that I am now a fan and could you please continue to write pieces like that!
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