Smile at Strangers

What a weird thing for me to post about today, right? Give it a chance and read on... :)

"There is virtually always a parallel between our attitude toward strangers and our overall level of happiness... if you think of strangers as being a little more like you and treat them not only with kindness and respect but with smiles and eye contact as well, you'll probably notice some pretty nice changes in yourself." -Richard Carlson

I remember the first time I walked down the sidewalk on my way to class at BYU-Idaho and just about every person I passed smiled as they walked by and said hello. I was a little surprised! I immediately caught on and started doing the same thing. It was really good for me; especially on my grouchier days because I'd muster up a smile and say hello because there was a mild "expectation" there. I know I smiled much more often during my college days because of it.

It was a little bit sad to watch the eye contact and hellos become less frequent throughout my years at college as iPods & other technology began to take over the attention and human interaction of so many people. It's easy to avoid interaction with others with the sunglasses on and the ear buds in, but take the challenge to smile at someone you don't know and say hello, each day this coming week. Maybe you'll notice a little positive change in yourself because of it :)