Smile with your Eyes: Kindness Shines through your Mask - LeaLittle.com
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Smile with your Eyes: Kindness Shines through your Mask

Smile with your Eyes: Kindness Shines through your Mask

Smile under that mask and your eyes will show it.

Spread Kindness
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Back in the day…

In my pageant days my mom advised me to “Smile with your eyes.” As a former Miss Michigan she had a bit of experience with this. While it felt awkward and fake at first, I found a certain bliss in beaming out happiness from my eyes. She told me to imagine, “Why are all these beautiful people looking at me?” While I found that to be laying it on a bit thick, I am rethinking it now decades later.

Over the years…

I have enjoyed random fleeting seconds with strangers exchanging brief smiles as gift of kindness. And I am desperately missing this as we move in to the next right thing to do during this pandemic: wearing masks everywhere we go.

And now…

We are redefining the whole idea of wearing a mask, not the hiding our true selves and all that psychology stuff. We literally are wearing physical masks. And now the simple niceties of smiling at a stranger have all but disappeared behind the masks. And I find it eerie.

So now, “Smile with your eyes” has taken on a whole new meaning for me. How can I spread joy with a mask covering 1/2 my face? Well, I’m trying…

As I took an extra moment at the grocery store to smile and pause to lock eyes with the checkout lady, she handed me my receipt and started to look away…but I held the space–just for an extra split second. She did a double take and her eyes widened as if to say, “Thank you for seeing me.” I sensed an indescribable gratitude in her gaze. She seemed almost touched. Or perhaps I was. Or perhaps I’m projecting.

Regardless…

I’m going to revive my practice of smiling with my eyes as my mother taught me. Will you join me?

I have to guess there really are a lot of beautiful people looking back at you.

About Lea: https://www.lealittle.com/career/

1Comment
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