Locked down with my Ukulele 13

These are strange times and little things can make a huge difference. I was doing the supermarket isle shuffle again. There was no “one way system” in this supermarket. The lady coming the other way was as confused as I was. If there are no set rules what can you do? She did look quite distressed at passing in the narrow isle. I felt her pain, a “one way system” does give some reassurance of distancing but without the clarity of the rules no one is actually breaking any laws. But it still feels wrong. In my defence I used the only weapon I could. I smiled.

This did not change the situation but I could feel the tension decrease. It seemed to defuse a stalemate situation. She visibly relaxed. We were both shopping for food. This has, for some, become a tense enough exercise. The fear of picking up this invisible virus is very real to some. The distraction of which direction do you walk down the coffee isle is unnecessary.

Frankly her relief was a relief to me as well. I have noticed that a peaceable action can have positive effects. The power of a genuine smile! I came across a poem (most say by Spike Milligan but others attribute to different authors) that I’ve heard it before but is still true.

Smiling is infectious, you catch it like the flu, When someone smiled at me today, I started smiling too.

I passed around the corner and someone saw my grin. When he smiled I realised I’d passed it on to him.

I thought about that smile, then I realised its worth. A single smile, just like mine could travel round the earth.

If I was wearing a mask would the outcome have been any different? Maybe! But then I thought about the eyes. Have you ever been with someone (maybe someone selling you something) who is smiling but it just doesn’t feel sincere. When you smile the windows to the soul need to be lit up. If the eyes are dead the soul is cold. If I’m on a bus in the near future I must remember to smile from my eyes. That will either work, or I’ll look like Jack Nicholson in the shinning.

Just a smile

A friend of mine recommended this song because of the lyrics. Some else realised a smile in difficult times does have value.

We can tell a hundred stories;

We can speak a million words;

We can paint a thousand pictures,

But will a heart be stirred?

We can often make a diff’rence

With a kindly word or deed,

But sometimes just a smile

Is all we really need.

(CHORUS)

Just a smile can lift a weary heart.

Just a smile can help us make a start.

When you’ve done your best praying you’ll succeed,

Then you will see a smile is what we need.

You may have trouble tracking this one down so here’s the link.

https://www.jw.org/en/library/music-songs/original-songs/just-a-smile/

On the site are some cracking little animated stories. If you use the search facility. Type in Caleb and Sophia and you’ll find a list of three minute cartoons with a moral message, please and thank you, be neat and clean, stealing is bad, etc. They’re designed for kids but they are really enjoyable. I learned about please and thank you.

Stay safe and keep smiling.