Million-dollar smile

Smile! It don't cost nuthin'.

Seriously, would it kill you to smile at a stranger on the street?

Well, maybe yes, if that stranger were a raving psychotic with a gun, an itchy trigger finger, good aim, a tragic childhood devoid of love and an acquired aversion to happy-looking people. But, since most people aren't quite like that, really, what's the problem?

Is it fear of premature wrinkles? Does it expend too much energy? Are you perpetually afraid that you have a big chunk of your last meal lodged in the choppers? Did you recently undergo oral surgery or Botox injections? Are you so deathly afraid of commitment that you think a smile risks laying your all your cards on the table?

The ability to smile is uniquely human. Cats, dogs, monkeys, snakes, fish, elk, geese...as far as I know, they express their feelings of happiness and good will toward men in other discernible ways. Why not embrace this human trait as we've embraced our opposable thumbs? If you can't get behind that, at least you can still use those thumbs to force a smile...

We smile when we're happy or amused. We cry when emotion floods the mind, we frown when we're displeased, we shake when we're nervous, etc. The physical manifestations of emotion are the way to communicate in the absence of words. And emotion is often contagious, especially when reinforced with facial or bodily indicators. So instead of blabbering to everyone who crosses your path about your feelings of happiness and amusement, why not just show them with a smile? Maybe it will make their day better?

I was quite angered and confused today (emotions which have fueled my commentary thus far). I walked down the city street this afternoon, making a conscious effort to smile at every human being with whom I made eye contact. To my horror, it was completely without reciprocation. Not a soul returned the love.

"Why??? Oh why???" I cried to myself. Unrequited love is the most painful of all!

But then, I pulled my scarf off of my face to itch my chin. The same scarf that had been completely concealing my broad grins for seven blocks.

My faith in humanity has been restored, for the time being. Did I mention that human bodies tend to shiver uncontrollably when it's minus-19 degrees outside?

One final note, if all else fails and you just cannot force even a smirk, think of this: