“Let my soul smile through my heart and my heart smile through my eyes, that I may scatter rich smiles in sad hearts.” –  Paramahansa Yogananda

Can you remember someone in your youth who said something remarkable?

I recall a homeroom teacher whom I only saw for ten minutes a day in Junior High. She advised me I looked more approachable when I smiled. She took the time to tell me this somewhere between taking attendance and school announcements.

I must have looked glum, withdrawn or distracted. She was extremely respectful about it.

She said, “Your smile is so expressive and you glow your inner radiance when you smile. You light up the room.”  In a beam of gratitude, I suddenly felt blessed. In fact, her interest, sparked a turnaround in me. I took it as a compliment and from then on, I made it a point to exercise my smile muscles.

A modest kindness can be a game changer. Adult attention and advice, given with dignity and courtesy, can alter a young person’s frame of mind.

Our words and actions matter.