A Simple Smile

On Friday, I drove to Brea High School to survey and count the light poles. Sounds easy right, but it wasn’t. It stressed me out! But let me back up a minute and I’ll explain why.

I have two grandchildren that are teenagers now. They are brother and sister and attend the same local High School, yet they are both unique and totally awesome in very different ways.

I love them and have always enjoyed spending time with them, but now that they are older I see them changing. I see serious looks on their faces where there used to be an easy smile, and I know it’s because they’re dealing with the stress that inevitably comes with being a teenager. Let’s face it, growing up is hard to do and learning to deal with stress is just part of the growing up process. But too much stress can be overwhelming and take the joy right out of life. So I wish I had an easy answer as to how to deal with it, but I don’t… Or maybe I do!

As I drove into the Brea High School parking lot, I was immediately stopped by a man in a golf cart. He wanted to know who I was and what I was doing. I explained that I was a vendor and would check in at the office. I noticed the school had thick iron gates and as I approached the entrance I was stopped again by an adult asking me why I was there. When I went into the office, I had to show my driver’s license, business card, and the name of my contact at the school. They fingerprinted me (just kidding) and then gave me an I.D. badge that I had to pin to my shirt. Then they escorted me to the iron gate and slowly and carefully unlocked it like I was entering the lion’s cage at the zoo. Things were certainly not like that when I went to High School!

It was lunch time, so inside there were tons of kids milling around. Some were sitting on benches, or huddled in small groups, and most of them stared at me with a suspicious look as I walked by. It was sad because most of them looked worried, scared, or angry, and it made me feel guilty and stressed out for some reason, even though I was there to help improve their school.

But then something strange happened. As I turned to walk down a corridor, a huge rough looking  Hispanic boy, with a scraggly mustache, and a gnarly neck tattoo walked by me. It wasn’t his gang member look that shocked me, it was what he said, “Good morning, sir. How are you?” His sincere smile and warm greeting surprised me so much that I’m not even sure I responded verbally. But I did respond in one way… my level of stress went way down.

And that got me thinking… A smile is not just a powerful tool of tenderness, it’s a weapon that can help wipe out stress!

A simple smile. That’s the start... of opening your heart... and doing it with style.

~ Anonymous