A Smile Goes a Long Way

Being a good, thoughtful, considerate person isn’t any harder than being a cross one. It’s why, when I’m out and about amongst the people, I am regularly dismayed by how many folks I encounter who have a scowl on their face. Who are rude to strangers. People who, without a second thought, put themselves first.

Has our current society given these people permission to act like asshats? Do they get some kind of secret pleasure out of ruining someone else’s day? Did they not learn a single thing in Sunday School or from Sesame Street?

As humans, have we always been this way? Or does it get worse as time goes by?

I recently shared a travel blogger’s article about a woman at the Baltimore-Washington airport who had a complete meltdown at a Frontier Airlines gate. Her flight to Charlotte was several hours delayed and she just lost it. She grabbed a microphone for the P.A. system and started ranting and raving while doing a crude gyrating dance. She was dressed in what looked like an outfit one would wear to the gym to work out—impossibly tight-fitting leggings and a matching tank top.

I note her outfit, and left a comment on said article, that perhaps, if people still dressed up to travel, like they did in the golden age of commercial air travel, she wouldn’t have behaved in that very unladylike manner. I was only half kidding, because I believe people behave based on how they are dressed.

Of course, I could be wrong. When a flight is terribly delayed for no obvious reason (like a thunderstorm or another act of God), and compassionate customer service is lacking (as it seems to be in many industries these days), well, even a gentile gentleman in a three-piece suit and a top hat might lose his shit.

My solution—besides doing my best to only surround myself with good, loving people who lift other people up—is to try to be a great example in my daily goings on. The absolute number one thing I do: 

SMILE.

I smile at people walking in the opposite direction. I smile at the stock people in my grocery store. I smile at the cashier at the gas station. And I make sure to put on an extra big, warm smile for the people I run into who I’ve done business with before.

Smiles, as I know you know, are very infectious.

There’s a great Dolly Parton quote that I shared on Facebook earlier this week along with a half-dozen photos of her glowing, happy face: “”If you see someone without a smile, give ’em yours!”

And it works. 

Almost every darned time.

Even better than that? I can instantly turn a surly customer service person into someone much more pleasant to deal with by asking, “How’s your day going?” Of course, you have to add the smile, too.

Nine times out of ten, they start engaging when they otherwise wouldn’t. They are so used to anonymous, chilly encounters, that it catches them off guard. And then, even if they’re having an okay or even a bad day, they usually end up smiling. And, even if just for a moment, you’ve changed the dynamic.

The next time your flight is hopelessly delayed, it’s inevitable that you’ll get agitated and annoyed. It’s so easy to start blaming the people who quite obviously have no control over the problem. That’s when we have to take a deep breath, remind ourselves that matters could be much worse (you could be driving 2,000 miles, for goodness sake), and then put that smile on your face. It will be better for your health and attitude…and for those around you.

Because smiles as infectious.

That, and try not to wear your athleisure wear to the airport. You don’t have to dress up to the nines to fly to your cruise vacation of course, but you don’t want to look like a slob either.