The sun sets on another day…
Each day the time wanes. Each day the sun’s time on the earth dwindles just a little more as we march towards the change in seasons. Each day there is less light.
In a few short days the eclipse will be here. For a period of time there will be blackness along its path in the United States and we listen often to the news pointing out this soon to be amazing event. We of course have not had any fewer sunsets, that would be 1 per day, and of course this is an amazing occasion but the point is, so is a sunset. Each day the sun passes to the other side of the earth and for a few seconds there is an amazing light show that will astound s all.
Sometimes as people we forget how much little things mean to others. With a few choice words we can uplift another person, or drag them down to a new level of pain and suffering. With a raised eyebrow we can see someone scramble to understand what we are questioning, with frown we can make them wonder what they have done wrong, with a glance we can see someones indifference, and of course with a smile we can melt a heart. All of these small things have no cost but to us, and they are actions we can give and take easily.
I considered today the price of a smile. What cost is there? A smile can unlock or disarm a person in a tense situation. It can also invoke frustration or , and more amusingly, rile a person who is trying to be angry. Still there is no cost. Is there is a costs to us to give a smile, no. Is there a cost to us to receive a smile, again, no. If we smiled at each other often what would the net effect be? Well, we might just be a little happier, or a little worried that someone else knows something about us, or a little elated that someone would take a moment and acknowledge our existence. Of course there could also be no net effect, and we might just feel a little happier ourselves. Well, maybe.
While I was staying in France I noted often the myriad of people that walked along the streets not paying attention to anyone but themselves. They hustled and bustled around and you know, there were not a lot of smiled. Of course there were exceptions, but as a whole I wondered how people met or interacted or even began a conversation. Many people looked angry and I hope they were not, but who knows. Of all places in the United States I saw diversity in the smiles roaming around. Some places were positive, others were lost in the moment as though showing any happiness or even acknowledgement was taboo.
Who cares, right? “Don’t tell me to smile”, “Don’t tell me to have a nice day” and “It is my right to be angry” are commonplace. You hear them whispered and written, and it always makes me laugh. There is a price for holding on to anger and pain, and that price is you. (Sure, you can disagree, call me names, throw fits, and then look in the mirror later at what you became in the process)The anger, the pain, the illusion of control, they all are things we should try to let go, or at least put away. Anything less is creating an angry world, or perpetuating it. In the end the question should be “What do you want to stand for?” and that is a question only you can answer.
So as the sun sets on another day I am thankful for the letter T. Ooops, wrong thought. So as the sun sets on another day, lets take a moment and think about more than just our tiny points of view and consider we are all part of the same equation. Maybe we won’t make a difference in the world, maybe we will. I know at least a few may be able to guide people with a smile, and move them forward overcoming anything, well, at least until it is time not to. If you have a moment and feel it within you, smile, if not, don’t, but realize that all the positives you can give in the world are right there, in front of you, and so are the negatives. Make good decisions for yourself, and try to make the world a better place, no matter what.
Sleep sweet, love more than people can imagine, and do so to the moon and back, and the stars beyond…