A WEAPON OF PEACE
A real smile enters the room before words do.
It disarms.
It welcomes.
It softens.
And most of the time…
it wins.
SMILING…
THERE IS NO DEFENSE AGAINST IT
A WEAPON OF PEACE
I wonder what the world would be like if everyone practiced smiling.
Not only with family.
Not only with friends.
But with strangers.
Neighbors.
Customers.
Clerks.
Children.
Elders.
The person passing by.
The person having a hard day.
The person who forgot they were still worth noticing.
I have yet to meet anyone arrested for assault with a deadly smile.
No one needs a license to smile.
No one gets pulled over for smiling above the speed limit.
And yet this little thing has enormous power.
I HAVE A GIFT FOR YOU
For the last few weeks, I have been giving away smiles.
Lots of them.
Big ones.
Warm ones.
Glad-to-see-you ones.
How-ya-doing ones.
And what I get back is priceless.
I do not know most of these people.
But now, in some little way, they know me.
Not my name.
Not my history.
Not my credentials.
But my intention.
A smile says:
I see you.
You matter.
Peace to you.
PREPARE TO DEFEND YOURSELF
There is no real defense against a sincere smile.
You can try to ignore it.
You can look away.
You can pretend it did not land.
But it does.
A smile does not leave people the way it found them.
It is a weapon of peace.
A small act of unconditional acceptance.
A childlike offering.
A little proof that kindness still walks around in human form.
SPEAKING OF CHILDREN
A two-year-old got me good the other day.
She stood up, held onto something, turned around, locked eyes with me…
and gave me her smile.
That was it.
I was finished.
Leveled.
Disarmed.
Reduced to the proper size.
I smiled back.
Then she gave me the smile of smiles.
The one that melts butter.
The one that tells grown men they are not as tough as they thought.
Her mother watched the whole thing and was proud as a peacock.
What price do you put on that?
WHY IS THIS GUY SMILING?
Doesn’t matter.
That is the answer.
A smile invites a response.
Nine out of ten people will give something back.
A grin.
A raised eyebrow.
A flash of teeth.
A nod.
A softened face.
And that one person who does not respond?
Oh, they responded.
They just kept it inside.
But I know I got ya.
PROPER SMILING PROCEDURE
Now let us be clear.
Do not walk around with a frozen smile pasted on your face.
That is not joy.
That is trouble.
You may drool.
You may frighten people.
You may be escorted out of places.
A real smile must be summoned for the person and the moment.
It cannot be manufactured.
It cannot be held hostage.
It must rise naturally.
A smile should be personal.
Fresh.
Alive.
A gift handed out in real time.
SALUTING AND SMILING ARE SIMILAR
A smile is like a salute.
You give it.
They return it.
The exchange is complete.
Then you both continue on your way, just a little better than before.
That is not small.
That is human contact.
That is life touching life.
That is soul recognizing soul.
THE PEARLS CONNECTION
This Pearl belongs to LIFE, LOVE, and INTIMACY.
Life, because smiling makes the daily journey lighter.
Love, because a smile is kindness made visible.
Intimacy, because even for one second, two people recognize each other.
In Pearls for the Soul, the whole idea is to feed the inner person.
A sincere smile does that.
It may not solve every problem.
It may not pay every bill.
It may not heal every wound.
But it can interrupt darkness.
It can change the temperature of a room.
It can remind someone they are not invisible.
That is why the Pearls Series exists.
To stir the inner parts.
To awaken what has fallen to the bottom.
To remind people that the treasure is already within.
Visit:
PearlsForTheSoul.com
The books support the posts.
The posts support the books.
And both point back to the reader.
You found me…
Now let’s find you.
WHAT THEN?
Give a smile away today.
Not a fake one.
Not a forced one.
A real one.
Let it rise.
Let it land.
Let it do its work.
Because in a world full of tension, suspicion, hurry, fear, and guarded faces…
a sincere smile may be one of the last peaceful weapons we have left.
Use it generously.
There is no defense against it.
— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com
Been expecting you