Smile..

I recently listened to Zen meditation master Thich Nhat Hanh's, The Art of Mindful Learning.   His quote: "Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful" is simple, yet very powerful. Yesterday,  I set out to smile more, to let go of the rambling worries that occupied my mind, and be more present with my students. I smiled in excitement and delight as a student identified letters he previously did not know. He stared at me for a split second, (as if he was wondering, Why is SHE so happy?) and burst out into a huge smile of his own, proud of his accomplishment. The smile might not seem like much at first glance, but it revealed a connection between us, this young boy working so hard to learn English, and me, working diligently each day to foster his belief that he can learn.
A smile can go beyond words and make a moment beautiful. Being fully present brings opportunities to find humor and joy in the everyday moments. I hope that today we can all just smile a bit more; our world needs the beauty.