The Power of a Smile

It’s now been my first month working with the new trainer. The swimming is progressing and I’m slowly but surely getting back into running mode; it’s time to start incorporating the bicycle into my workouts. So last week I unhooked my bike from its trusty resting spot hanging from the roof of the garage to discover that both of the tires were flat. I shouldn’t have been surprised, especially since it had been up there since last summer’s race, so I dug out a bike pump and feverishly worked to pump air into the tires. It seemed to work so I put it in the rack of my car and headed out to the trailhead.


While waiting at the last stoplight before parking, a man stepped into the crosswalk to pass in front of me. He shuffled along, certainly not in a hurry and looking mostly downward. I inadvertently smiled at him and apparently he saw me because he did a double-take and looked at me quizzically. I was in such a good mood, ready for an easy bike ride (I suspect I won’t be getting many such passes before Coach kicks them into painful mode) and besides, I naturally like to smile. The stranger didn’t return the smile but picked up his pace to the other side so I counted that as a win.


My own smile soon faded of course when I realized that the tires were flat again. Since riding the bike was out of the question, I turned around and went home to go for a run instead. My dog was especially happy about the change of events! Despite what I’ve said about running with him, I feel safer when he’s with me. He started whimpering with anticipation as soon as I put on my running shoes; I think he’s missed running as much as I have. We started out well enough, nice and easy just around the neighborhood in circles (since the patchwork cul-de-sacs seem to take away my sense of direction), and as we ventured out a little further the rain lightened up. Or so it seemed. Out of nowhere, I heard a woman’s voice call out to ask if I was training for the Tacoma marathon. Confused, I looked around to see who it was and stopped to talk to her. She was a Cub Scout mom, complete in uniform with her little guy in tow, and she told me she’s interested in running and looking for a partner. As we talked, the rain really kicked in so we cut it short, a new friendship forged. I couldn’t help but smile at my good fortune.


I shouldn’t have been quite so surprised by the quickly changing weather, rain of course is nothing new and I’m no longer surprised when it stars pouring as soon as I open my front door to get started, but this day I experienced a whole new scenario: it rained hail. It drenched my clothes and pelted my face, and Seamus finally stopped cold in his tracks, right in front of my legs, as if to ask me what we were doing. That would mark the end of the workout!

While telling my training partner about the chain of events, she questioned why the woman talked to me; I must not have had my "game face" on to ward off interruptions.  I beg to differ; I think a smile is part of my natural presence.  I love my smile, it's one of my best features, and I often smile while running because I enjoy it so much.  I have some various words of advice and encouragement that are taped to my bathroom vanity that I read in the morning while getting ready.  They offer a variety of advice for improving life's outlook, and more than a couple include smiling in their suggestions.  A smile helps make a situation a little easier to bear, and is an easy way to acknowledge somebody or soften a situation when the need arises.  It can brighten your outlook and is highly contagious to others.  To quote Buddy the Elf, "I just like to smile, smiling's my favorite."  My sentiments exactly!

So while training isn't always fun and enough rain can dampen anyone's mood, a smile can certainly make it easier to bear.  I encourage you to smile more and see what develops!