One Smile Makes Two

Making friends is not as difficult as some of us may think. I’ve heard some people say that it’s hard enough to begin a conversation with a stranger so how to make friends?

Usually it’s eye contact first and then a smile. Smiles can do wonders. They break whatever invisible barrier there may be and from that point on, it’s a “Hi” or “Hello” etc., etc. and the rest follows naturally.

This was what happened outside a doctor’s clinic. An elderly woman and a younger lady were standing outside waiting for the clinic to open when I walked up. They looked like mother and daughter. The older lady looked at me and I smiled at her. In return I got an answering smile and she asked if I were also there to see the doctor. From then on, we traded information on why we were there.

So it was a casual conversation but somehow it gave a nice feeling that people whom we don’t know are friendly once the barrier is down. Smiles are what bring down barriers and they are the seeds of friendship.

I would like to share this song which I was taught in elementary school. It goes to the tune of Auld Lang Syne.

A smile is such a funny thing
It wrinkles up your face
And when it’s gone
You’ll never find its secret hiding place.
But far more wonderful it is
To see what smiles can do
You smile at one, he smiles at you
And so one smile makes two.

I don’t know who the composer is but I think it’s beautiful and my teacher taught us this song, telling us to smile all the time so that we can make more friends. This is why I’ve never forgotten the lyrics, old as I am.

Smiles are like rainbows, always pretty to look at.

They make a person more approachable, right? The smiling
girls are my sisters.