A Smiley State of Mind

The smiley state of mind is that where you have a smile in your eyes. This is as opposed to the suspicious state of mind where eyes look around suspiciously and fearfully at all that is going around. In these eyes, depending on the state of mind, are the number of walls that separate you and the outside world. You can choose any state of mind you want, depending on how much you wish to isolate yourself from the process of life. Or you can choose the smiley state of mind.

Smiley flowers

I realized that keeping a smile in the eyes makes me more aware of the environment I am in. I am more open to receive and interact and participate in the process of life. It is easier to react to situations, to people and things, kindly and gently, with the smiley state of mind. It is also one which relaxes. In other states of mind when my walls are up, I only see and react to what I want. I am in my little world and do not allow anything to come into my world. So little happens, and even that I control.

It also seems to me that in the smiley state, there are more things happening around me, to me. Once I am open, once my walls are down, life seems to draw me into its process inexorably. And there are things happening, doors opening, experiences unfolding. It is easier to smile at strangers, to laugh at our mistakes, to let the other person go ahead in traffic, to ask about the other person's well being even if he banged into your car. I think it is also that state of mind which makes children comfortable.

A smile in the eyes then. So we can look at life gently. With love.