The Power of a Single Smile

There is construction on a road near my home and I pass through it everyday on my way to work in my tiny blue car.  The road is a side street with connecting apartment complexes so they cannot not shut it down completely.  One elderly man's job is to hold up a sign that says "slow" and then turn it around to say "stop" if a bulldozer or other large truck needs to cross from one side of the road to the other.  I took notice of him because he always has a huge smile on his face as he waves or nods to the passing cars.  The thing that made me notice him was how joyful he was and that he wanted to share his joy with others. 

One day he waved to me and I smiled and waved back.  I started waving to him each time I saw him.  And one morning as he waved back at tipped his construction helmet down in a gentlemanly manner. I giggled and waved back.  Maybe he was starting to remember me? 

 This had been going on for a few weeks.  It puts me in a good mood as I am  stuck in traffic behind other cars waiting to drive through the construction area.  

This morning as I approached the corner that my elderly friend usually stands on holding up his red "slow" sign I noticed he held a second sign made out of cardboard that said " good morning little blue car!".  I couldn't believe it!   He made me a sign.

I wish I could have taken a picture or thanked him more than just waving and smiling one of my brightest smiles back, but I had to drive past with the flow of traffic. 

This situation made me think about just how important connections with our fellow humans are and the impact we can have on each other.  One of the core principles of social work is understanding the value and importance of human relationships.  Kindness and a smile can really go a long way.