Heart Hinge—Day Fifty-Six

Day 56

Listening to Christmas music jingling on my car radio, I prepared to make a right hand turn when I noticed some guy walking on the crosswalk toward me.  To use a term my grandmother used to say, “lollygagging–” he was taking forever. I mentally measured the space between him and my car;  “I could make it,” I thought.  But I decided to just wait. To my surprise, the man noticed me, waved his hand and picked up his pace.  Jogging toward the finish line  (a.k.a. curb) he glanced in my direction toward the windshield.  I gave him a big appreciative smile and waved my hand.  He grinned back–a beautiful smile– and went on his way. “That felt nice,” I thought, completing my turn.

What was that?  Driving on down the road, “Jingle Bell Rock” playing away in my ears, I contemplated what just happened.  Two strangers smiled at each other.  We made a connection, a momentary heart hinge.  Why did it feel so significant?  And so contagious?  Shouldn’t such things be a frequent occurrence?

Frequent occurrence.  Normal, gee…what has become normal?  Are friendly interactions among strangers normal?    My town is Las Vegas—still reeling from the vulnerability of knowing that complete strangers want to shoot at concertgoers.  And across the globe,  God help us, the bombs, the rage, the rape, the hate.  The parents who had to pull their daughter off life support when she hung herself because her bullies convinced her she was worthless–And then those same bullies posted a photo of an open grave, taunting her parents that they could tuck her into there  instead of into bed from now on.  I can’t even fathom the meanness.  And I’m not sure I want to. My brain went to all that.  And why?  Because, like you,  I am burdened by it.

That guy doesn’t even know it, but he changed me.  His smile was that contagious.  Smile!  Wave!  Wait for people, or hurry up if they’re waiting for you.  Hold open the door, greet kindly, give a compliment or a “thank you.”  How long does it take, how hard is it, really?  We don’t know what heaviness others are walking into or out of.  But we can be assured that burdens are being carried.  I want to normalize NICE again.

Wouldn’t it be amazing if smiling were the new norm?