I work in a hospital. At my orientation, all the new employees watched an empathy film so we’d be aware of what patients and their families might go through. Worries over paying for treatment. Saying good-bye to a loved one for the last time. A little kindness can make all the difference to a person.
Since then, I make sure to smile at and say hello to everyone. At first it was just people at the hospital—patients, coworkers, visitors—to brighten potentially bad days. It felt great when people smiled back, but I never took it personally if they didn’t.
Now I smile at people everywhere I go. At cashiers and fellow shoppers at the grocery store. At the movie theater. I hope that seeing for a moment that someone cares helps strangers deal with the difficult situations in their life.
Best of all, smiling is free! Why don’t you give it a try?
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