A smile is something we all take for granted. It is an act between two human beings that makes us feel like we mean something on this earth. Given this definition, it is hard to think about going a day or longer without smiling. You might shrug and say that it doesn’t really matter to you either way, but try going a day without getting smiled at or smiling at anyone. It might be harder than you think. This is something we touched on last night at our debrief after our run. I know there have been blogs about how the people we serve are, in fact, people. I know we have written about how we need to try to make them actually feel like people. But honestly, it is worth repeating. We all have luxuries that we don’t think of as such. We have people we talk to on a daily basis, we have people we can lean on (whether they be friends, family, or a combination of both), and we all receive at least one hug and more smiles than we can count in a day. What if all of that went away? What if you didn’t have someone to get a hug from when you are upset, or to tell you everything is going to be okay?
The people we serve have talked to us, we’ve read their signs, we’ve handed them a simple paper bag with very basic food in them. But unfortunately, that might be the most interaction they get all day. Elissa, one of the leaders, told us about a sign she saw that one man was holding that said something to the effect of “please just smile”. That simple act, that one muscle movement, will give them a little bit of hope. Someone noticed them. Someone acknowledged that they are there, that they are human.
So please. Just smile.
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