I smiled as a kid. A lot. I was pretty happy, but I also knew the power of a smile. Smiles opened doors. A confident smile allowed me to walk in to any group or social situation and be accepted. There were also many occasions where I found I could pass along my smile to someone who was sad or in pain. My smile could make people feel better. Genuine smiles contain immense positive energy, and it was this energy I freely shared and accepted back from the people I shared them with.
My smiles were a form of energy exchange. There are many such exchanges we make with other people every day. We also exchange energy with animals, plants and even Mother Earth. Most of these energy exchanges we pay no attention to because we are not consciously aware of their value. However, there are many cases where it would be difficult to live without such exchanges.
Let me give an example. A cotton farmer plants his fields, nurtures the land and his crop and harvests this resource. The farmer expends his energy with this work and is rewarded back with a commodity he can then sell to a mill to make into threads and eventually into cloth and clothing.
Our money system is a form of energy exchange. Typically we put in some sort of energy at a job (usually a thought process and/or physical labor) and we receive back cash we then use to pay our bills. The problem with this system is that it is highly limited. Only certain actions are considered worthy of money, and only under certain conditions. Much of the energy we put out into the world is never acknowledged--like my smiles--and never given a monetary value.
It's silly to put a price on a smile, right?
The right smile can change the world! In my lifetime, I have managed to get smiles back from people who you would never believe had a smile in them! A smile can give hope, courage, joy, love, peace, acceptance. It can give another person that little something that helps them cope and move forward. In very real ways, smiles can give others much needed energy!
Sit back and think about all the things you do during the course of the day. Maybe you exchange a quick kiss with your wife or husband or child as you head to your job. Maybe you stop at the local coffee shop for a quick coffee and chat with the barista. Maybe you interact with coworkers in an effort to solve a problem that will propel the business further. Maybe you make dinner for your family so you can spend a little time talking about their days. Did you share a smile or a laugh with someone? Did you do something to touch someone's heart? Did someone do something to touch your heart? How did you feel? How did other's feel?
Every day, we go about our lives without a thought to all the ways we give to others and receive from others in return. This energy we put out into the world is who we are--the very essence of BEing!!! Our BEing creates value in the world, and yet we don't get paid for most of it. We don't even get acknowledged for it!!!
Tell me. What is the worth of a smile? When we understand the answer to that question, the world will change in very profound and powerful ways!
~CSE
