The smile. It’s such a small action with such a big impact. Gently contract these muscles, subtly relax those. Within a mere fraction of movement, a universe of possibility opens. We often think of it as a reaction – ‘that made me smile’.
It can also be interesting to notice what happens when we start with a smile. We don’t have to tackle the biggest challenges like smiling at our deepest heartache, although that can be transformative if we get there. We don’t even need to start with people.
Dogs are great to smile at. Trees, flowers, things that spark joy, solve problems or are easy to overlook. Smile at the onion before you chop it. Smile at the database before you start to fill it in. I started this blog with a wry little smile at the blank page, and with it at my own self-doubt. It helped.
Then maybe we can stay with the smile a little longer. See how it evolves. See how we evolve in response. What opens? What shifts? What softens? What warms within us? See how the world around us responds.
It’s not about faking niceness or happiness or OKness. It’s more about curiosity of seeing what emerges when we flex some tiny muscles to find a little gentleness toward what’s in front of us.
Helen Mentha 