Teaching Me To Smile

My son likes to smile

I don’t know why but he does

He will look at strangers and smile

At dogs and cats and smile

At his toys and smile

And at his reflection and smile

Its amazing the impact it has on the world

People treat him better

It gets such a reaction

Its like he is making their days better

His teachers at child care look forward to seeing him

People wave at him

And they want to play with him

Its been so humbling to see what a child smiling at the world can accomplish

And its a skill that I and most of us leave at the door

We don’t have the inherent innocence and charm of a 6 month old but either do we let our smiles do some of the work

I aways tell him

Even though he doesn’t understand

“Keep smiling” and “Do not stop smiling”

So I tell you

Smile at everyone

At the happy

At the kind

At the sad

At the disenfranchised

At the angry and the rude

Just keep smiling because its already done so much for my son

Imagine what it can do for you and the people you will meet

How a smile open doors

How it unlocks hearts and minds

And how it puts people at ease

Thank you son for teaching me to smile more

I promise you I will, so if you ever forget you will see me smile at the world and hopefully carry it with you for the rest of you life

Keep smiling