The Power of a Smile
On my last trip overseas my job involved working with the locals who were (by name) not unknown to have one or two infiltrators enter their ranks and kill Americans. To protect myself I carried a sidearm, went with a buddy who was also armed, and smiled at everyone to the point where my face would get sore.
Yesterday traveling across country we made a stop at a gas station that reinforced their doors and windows with metal bars. Between my car and those bars was a black SUV with several young men listening to some “thumpy” music with the window down. I felt uncomfortable, so I instantly smiled at them.
I went in to grab a couple of bottles of water. The tank got filled up and I put the nozzle back, but for some reason forgot the gas cap. Luckily I didn’t pull straight out of the gas station. I pulled a few feet ahead to free up the pump and fix something in the car. The young men in the black SUV pulled right up next to me, music off, and said “sir, your gas cap is dangling.”
I’m glad I smiled, and I’m glad those young men were so nice. I’m sure someone smarter then me could write about the greater social consequences of all this, but I think the real take away is that smiling helps us be nice to one another.
