Armed With A Smile – A Story I Thought I Should Share
Posted 3 weeks, 1 day ago at 13:47. 0 comments
(Το παρακάτω κείμενο είναι από το blog μου στο tumblr, κι αυτός είναι ο λόγος που είναι στα αγγλικά. Μιας και δεν είναι η μητρική μου γλώσσα, θα υπάρχουν λάθη, οπότε συγγνώμη από τώρα για αυτά)
There is this woman I see close to my house, every time I get off the train. She is old, but she has that kind of look that makes it hard to guess her age. She has long brown hair, always wears dark clothes and she sits on a bench at the park, where children are playing. Her smile is so kind but her eyes seem sad most of the time. She looks like a child at school that gets picked on, laughed at and left aside, even thought she has much to give.
Most people seem to avoid her. They pass by her and act as if she doesn’t even exist. They do not look, and you can tell by their fast pace that they don’t feel comfortable being around her.
I don’t know her story and I don’t think anyone does, but the way people treat her makes me think they believe she is crazy. So it comes to this. People don’t look at different people, don’t talk to them. People underestimate the power of a simple look. A touch. The magical power of a spontaneous smile.
A few weeks ago I saw her for the first time, sitting on her bench quiet and alone. I couldn’t help but look at her all the way till I passed by her, and then I smiled, and she smiled back at me.
Then I saw her again, and again, and again and every time I’d see her, we’d follow that secret ritual, we’d look at each other and smile, not saying a single word but greeting each other just through our body language.
It made me feel nice. I always smile at people but there was something different about her. She appreciated it. She was taking every single bit of love a smile can carry, and was keeping it so tenderly, only so she could give it back to me through her own smile.
It was not until a couple of weeks ago, that I heard her voice. I was walking towards her, talking on the phone, but still taking my time for our little greeting ritual. She saw me, smiled at me, and started singing this funny tune, almost as if she was a child that got an unexpected present. I smiled some more and went on walking.
Yesterday, after I got off the train I walked to the park. It was crowded. There were kids playing and moms taking care of them, and there were dogs and old people sitting on benches, talking about how the world has changed. And there she was, the mystery lady of the bench, with her black clothes and her dark skin, almost waiting for something to happen.
I got close to her smiling, she smiled back so happily, but this time something different happened. The lady talked to me. She said “You are the only person that looks at me in the eye, and smiles at me. Bless you” and as I put on my best smile, I told her “Bless you too”, cause there was nothing else to be said at the time, for there were no words to explain the gift she had given me.
All through my life, she was one of the very few people I have met who appreciated a simple gesture. Words count but actions are far better, and now I know that we may not have the power to change someones life, but we more than definitely have the power to change someones day, and that speaks volumes about what we can do with our lives.
Next time I see her, I’m going to sit by her, and who knows, maybe we can share more than a smile.
