SMILE …..

What’s in a smile?  A simple smile can turn someone’s world around.  If you don’t believe me… try it.  So, why don’t people I encounter smile more?  On the bike trail, cyclists smile… runners, not so much.  I guess that’s why I never got into running – it doesn’t look like runners are having very much fun.   To me, fellow cyclists seem so much more joyful doing their workout.  We always smile at one another or, at a minimum, nod hello.

My bf informed me from a reading a guide book to Paris, that you weren’t supposed to smile at people on the street while in Paris. If you smiled at people, the locals would think you were crazy. What?  Really?  How sad.  In Paris, I smiled anyway. Let them think I am a nut case, I don’t really care.

While in Greece, we met an Italian who had just opened a café called Dolce Vita in the neighborhood we were staying in. He commented that he wanted to have a café where everyone knew each other, said hello, and had meaningful conversation.  I liked this idea!

At a recent visit to Hidden Peak Teahouse in Santa Cruz on Monday, I was delighted to sample some sumptuous teas and frequent a establishment where electronic devices are not allowed.  I M A G I N E a public area where you can sit, enjoy some worthwhile conversation and not be interrupted by a electronic device, or see others distracted by their electronic babysitters?!?!  This makes me smile.