I ran past a woman this morning who was running in the opposite direction of me.

I smiled at her. She glared at me.

We are different shades of human.

My heart broke.

I wondered if her dirty look was out of fear, hate, confusion… I don’t know.

I thought about her as I continued my run. Curious about her life. Aching at the thought of her glare.

I saw her again as I was heading back.

Again I smiled at her. Genuinely.

But this time, she returned a genuine smile back. ❤️

I don’t know why she glared at me the first time we passed each other. There are a million and one possible reasons…

Rough morning? Assumptions about me? Confused about someone smiling at her? (Because it’s so rare for strangers to be friendly anymore…) Hate? Fear? Pain from running? Or anything else that had nothing at all to do with me?

I have NO idea. And I don’t need to know, because it’s none of my business.

I could have chosen to be angry at her dirty look and glare back at her. But why?

People so often react out of hasty assumptions. But what good does it serve either person to fuel the fire of anger and hatred that could spark in that brief moment of a dirty look?

What if we flipped the script?

What if, instead of reacting to negativity with negativity, what if we chose to do better?

Spread love. Smile more. Assume less. Forgive more.

If we were less inclined to put up our defenses and build walls, we could open ourselves up to opportunities to love more, love better, and love more often. Even in the tiny sidewalk moments.

I still wonder about the woman on the sidewalk.

I wonder about her life and her story. And I pray for her. I’m not entirely sure why, but something about her eyes made my heart hurt for her that day.

I’m thankful that our paths crossed. And I’m thankful that she felt comfortable smiling back at me the second time around.

A smile is like a hug for the soul.

It can soothe an aching heart and create a shift in the atmosphere for yourself and those around you.

And your smile might be the only one that someone sees today. Don’t keep it to yourself. You never know who may need it. ❤️