Smiling easily

I love it when something unexpected and random happens to me every now and then. It reminds me that in spite of iPhones and Outlook calendars and phone reminders, unexpected things still manage to creep up on you.


This morning I was waiting at my bus stop when I heard a movement behind me. I thought it was the little redheaded boy that usually waits with me. Instead, when I turned around, there was a very skinny Indian man in board shorts standing in his driveway. It’s the middle of winter and this man is outside in his baggy shorts and a T-shirt. Funny enough, that was not the odd thing about him on this particular nippy morning. He was standing on the sidewalk brushing his teeth.... wait for it... with a shockingly pink toothbrush.

With toothpaste all over his cheek, he flashed me his pearly whites and gave me the friendliest smile anyone in his situation could have come up with. Good on you buddy! There he was, looking like a freak, but actually, he was doing the two very significant things, and to his credit, simultaneously; brushing his teeth, very important, and smiling at a stranger, even more important.

Sometimes people aren’t even brushing their teeth and they still don’t bother to smile at me. This friendly neighbour of mine can be a shining example to all the grumpies on the street.  In the meantime I will reserve my tooth brushing to the confines of my bathroom and like my interesting new friend, put my smile out there for the world to see!