The question is – what is behind the smile?
I recently posted a photograph of myself with my friend , Priscilla, outside a lovely restaurant in Singapore. Towering arrangement of lilies in the background, smart waiters, we were smiling. The photo elicited immediate responses- one of which was ” you are both looking so relaxed”
Nothing could have been further from the truth. What really was happening was that I had spent the morning having an urgent CT scan, was waiting for the rushed test results, so that could show them to my Doctor. Priscilla had stayed with me all morning, ” being there” for me. I’d had nothing to eat all morning as the tests had to be done on an empty stomach.
So we stopped in at the first place we could find to grab something eat. When we left, I stopped to take the photo. In the back of my mind was the thought-could this be the “before” photo- before I got “the news”. The imminent meeting with my Doctor could have been the one that changed my life, if the test results were not good.
All is well. Everything is good.
But here’s the point- what’s behind the smile? Most people have a story, have a secret pain, a secret fear. We need to look beyond the smiles. We need to treat everyone we come across with care and gentleness.