Adults who smile

I'm 20 years old in a week and I still get the buddy smile from adults. You know what I'm talking about. It's that quick, spontaneous smile you used to get as a kid waiting in the doctor's office when you'd happen to make eye contact with the receptionist who suddenly thought you're the cutest little bundle of puppy kisses ever to grace her existence.

Why do adults still do that? I was walking past a woman today going into the metro and she looks at me square in the face and crinkles the corners of her mouth. Really.

I bet the people who do that are elementary school teachers, because they do it as a reflex. To them, anyone under thirty who's not holding a gun is a worthy smile candidate.

It's become an epidemic I can't get over it. As cynical as I have become, it actually makes me giggle. Why is there so much joy bubbling inside these people? We're in a recession and you're making casual smiles, like that's going to get my Dad's RRSP savings back.

I think it's beautiful, and I encourage everyone to start smiling. Yep. That's right. Spontaneous smiling isn't just for school teachers who dress from head-to-toe in floral motifs and consider a 'bun' the appropriate hair coiffure for this season. You should try it too, and just for kicks, you should see how many people smile back.