Let my soul smile through my heart and
my heart smile through my eyes, that I
may scatter rich smiles in sad hearts.~ Paramahansa Yoganandya
If there is anything good that came out of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s that it forced us all to consider our communication skills with others. Now, several years after the pandemic, if we are mindful, we’ll be able to see where and how we can turn those COVID years into something of value and equally relevant. During the pandemic, hugging and handshakes all but disappeared among us. That, in and of itself, was devastating to countless people. Suffice it to say, many of us were starving for authentic connection but could not bridge that gap because of the collective fear of literally getting too close. The irony is, the need and desire to convey our thoughts and feelings was being felt more deeply than ever; isolation increases our awareness of how much we need and want authentic connection. The irony is that this connection can as easily begin with our eyes as our mouths. My sense is, these authentic, mystical moments happen most often between people when eyes meet eyes with no agenda. Until I wore a mask while out in public during the worst of the pandemic, I never realized how much I relied on my eyes to subtly communicate what my heart was feeling.
I had a profound realization one day while scurrying around the corner of the freezer aisle in the supermarket, masked one morning. With my shopping cart in hyperdrive, I nearly collided with an oncoming shopper’s cart, and that was all it took. We both screeched to a halt while I grimaced a toothy smile, apologized with muffled words through my three-layered mask. “No worries,” the elderly lady said—but not with muffled words through her mask; rather, her soft, sparkling, periwinkle blue eyes spoke volumes. Only then did I realize that my masked smile was hidden, unlike her smile, which shone in her eyes.
As Yogananda inferred, through her soul and heart, her eyes smiled and penetrated my entire being. Whether she knew it, I was having a “Namaste” moment courtesy of an otherwise pesky pandemic. I saw in her eyes only kindness, present-moment compassion, and the gentle generosity of spirit. What does it mean to smile through our eyes in such a manner? It means mindfully perceiving people with no judgement, condemnation, or ill will. It means being so present with others at the moment that all “apparent otherness” dissolves into the nothingness from which it came. Essentially, it means to rise to an awareness that there is only one of us here.
THE TAKEAWAY: We don’t have to wait until the next pandemic to disseminate kindness, compassion, and the generosity of spirit through our smiling eyes. We just have to remember that the world is always hungry for authentic connection and that every moment of every day offers countless opportunities for that connection, IF we start the conversation with a genuine smile.
The great news is, a mask cannot conceal that which originates in the heart. May you bless the world today by greeting it—and everyone in it—with eyes full of gratitude, compassion, and peace.
