The power of a smile

Smile at each other, smile at your wife, smile at your husband, smile at your children, smile at each other - it doesn’t matter who it is - and that will help you to grow up in greater love for each other. ”

I write this down from my experience. One day, tired after a day of work, I came home from work with a heavy face. Then an unfamiliar person on the tram smiled at me, and reflexively, I smiled back. Suddenly, all my tiredness seemed to vanish.

There is a story of Saint Exupéry that I happened to read. Literature enthusiasts are no stranger to the author of Little Prince. He was a pilot involved in anti-fascism during World War II. From these years, he wrote Smile. I don't know if this is an autobiography or a fictional story, but I believe it is real. In the story, Saint Exupéry was a prisoner who was treated harshly and he thought that he would be executed tomorrow like everyone else. He wrote:

“I became distraught. My hand twitched and pulled out a cigarette from my pocket. But I have no matches. Through bars, I saw the guard. He didn't see me, so I called:

-Sorry, do you have a fire?

He shrugged and approached. When I drew the match, he accidentally met my eyes. Immediately, I smiled. I don't understand why I did that. Perhaps because when you want to get along with someone, you easily smile.

At this moment, there seemed to be a sparks of fire burning across the gap between our two souls, between the two human hearts. I knew he didn't want to, but because I smiled, he had to smile back. He lit a match, came closer to me, looked me in the eye, and still smiled. Now, in front of me is no longer a fascist, but a person.

-Do you have children? - He asked me.

-Yes - I replied, and pulled out a family-shaped wallet from my pocket. Then he also pulled out a picture of the children and began telling his hopes for them.

My eyes were teary. I knew that I was going to die and never see my relatives again. He also cried.

Suddenly, without saying a word, he unlocked and pulled me out of the cell. He quietly took me out of the city, released me, and returned. That's it, my life was saved by a smile. ”

Since reading this story, I have learned many things. I know that underneath all the shells we create to protect ourselves, to protect our dignity and our position, below these there is also a precious truth that I call the soul. I believe that if your soul and my soul recognize each other then we have nothing to fear or hate each other. If you've ever had a moment of attachment to others through the power of a smile, then I believe you agree with me that it's a small miracle, a wonderful gift that we can give each other.

Theresa's mother felt this in her life and gave her heartfelt advice: "Smile at each other, smile at your wife, with your husband, with your children and with everyone - whoever it is, because this will help you grow in each other's love. "