Wouldn’t it be nice to live in Mayberry USA again?

I don’t know about you, but when I am shopping (which is rare) I usually migrate to an employee who has a smile on his/her face.
Ever done that?
Wouldn’t you rather ask the direction to a certain item you are looking for if the employee has a smile on their face?
Or, when you are at the checkout counter, wouldn’t you rather see the checkout person smiling? After all, they are about to take your hard-earned dollar.
When I walk through a store to my destination and meet other shoppers, I look to faces with a smile and those who make direct eye contact.
I often wish that people showed more direct eye contact, salute in some way as to offer their spirit back to your spirit. In Hindu lingo a person who says or signs off with the word namaste is saying, “I bow to the divine in you,” or “I respect that divinity in you that is also within me.” In yoga, a person may leave you by using the word namaste. What they are saying is, “The light within me acknowledges the light within you.”
We often feel that we don’t have the time or energy to extend ourselves to others with the small gestures that compose what we call common courtesy.
It sometimes seems that this kind of social awareness belongs to the past, to smaller towns and slower times. I guess that is why I like Mayberry USA so much.
Yet, when someone extends this kind of courtesy to us, we always feel touched. Like someone who lends a helping hand when you are struggling with decisions at the grocery store on what it was your wife sent you there for in the first place. Some people extend a helping hand if you ask them their advice. It makes an impression because many people just walk right by. If you ask them for advice about a certain product and find a grimace on their face, you know you didn’t ask the right person.
Even someone who simply makes the effort to look us in the eye, smiles, and greets us properly when entering a room stands out of the crowd. It seems these people carry with them the elegance and grace of another time, and we are always thankful for our contact with them.
Common courtesy is a small gesture that makes a big difference.
An essential component of common courtesy is awareness and common sense-looking outside yourself to see when someone needs help or acknowledgment.
As a courteous person, you are aware that you are walking into a room full of people or that your waiter has arrived to take your order. Then, awareness leads to action.
It is usually quite clear what needs to be done-open the door for the woman holding the baby, move your car up two feet so another person can park behind you, acknowledge your friend’s shy boyfriend with a smile and some conversation, apologize if you bump into someone.
A third component is to give courtesy freely, without expecting anything in return. People may not even take notice, much less return the kindness, but you can take heart in the fact that you are creating the kind of world you want to live in with your actions.
When you are out in the world, remember to be aware of others, lend your hand when one is needed, and give this help without an ulterior motive.
The face is a complex palette of emotions. A slight turning up of the lips and a crinkling of the eyes can signal pleasure, contentment, happiness, or satisfaction. But in all cases, a smile is more than it seems.
A smiling person is often judged as more attractive, pleasant to be around, sincere, honest, sociable, and inviting and is considered more confident and successful.
Smiling is not a learned action. Even those born blind will smile when experiencing a joyful moment. A carefree smile is a quick and easy way to tell the world that you are open to new experiences and eager to meet new people.
It is assumed that a bright smile stems from happiness, but research has also shown that genuine happiness can stem from a smile.
Even a smile called forth when you don't necessarily feel like smiling can trigger the release of endorphins, brightening your day.
The simple act of smiling can help relieve stress by relaxing your facial muscles and encouraging you to focus on happy memories. And a forced smile, which only involves the muscles of the mouth, can easily turn into a true smile, which lights up the entire face. A smile motivated by real happiness is likely to inspire someone nearby to smile, possibly because of the expression's origins in the primate grin. That grin, which some scientists believe evolved into the smile, signaled that the one grinning was a friend rather than an opponent.
In ancient China, Taoists taught the benefits of the inner smile because they believed it insured happiness, health, and longevity.
One smile can lessen the sting of a negative mood and bring on a better one. But don't be self-conscious about it.
Smiling is universal and looks great on everyone. A smile, directed inward, outward, or at nothing in particular brightens the world and is a gift to those who see it.

John W. Cargile, Msc.D, D.D. is a licensed pastoral psychology counselor. He is a member of the National Education Association and Alabama Education Association. He is the author of a new novel, The Cry of the Cuckoos. www.thecryofthecuckoos.com You can contact him at jwcargile@charter,net. All conversations are confidential.