Smiley-face God

Bright and early Saturday morning I headed for Lady Bird Lake, to run the hike-and-bike trail around the lake. I knew it would be crowded and I was right.

No problem! I looked forward to sharing the trail with other fitness aficionados. The more the merrier. I anticipated camaraderie as heart-warming as the run would be a body-warmer.

But something wasn’t right. I’m a smiler. High on my list of feel-goods is smiling full-force at a stranger and receiving a smile-back in return. I was primed and prepped as I beep-locked my car and headed down the isolated path from Deep Eddy pool to the major trail.

As soon as I turned onto the foot bridge that crosses the lake I met my first approaching runners. Only they were walking. No matter; I smiled.

They didn’t.

Ten yards farther and a pair of twentysomething track stars were coming my way. They must feel the isn’t-this-wonderful-and-aren’t-we-all-glad-to-be-here vibe. Big smile from me.

None from them.

And that was just the beginning. I ran some 40 minutes. I’ll bet I beamed a smile out 80 times, at least twice each minute. I estimate 4 true smiles came back at me. I don’t count the pressed lips, corners slightly wiggle maneuver a true smile.

What gives? All I can guess is that the early Saturday runners are really intense on their running: form, pace, stride, wind, speed. Maybe too intense to register that a smile’s coming at them, too intense to exercise the zygomaticus major and/or minor muscles.

Only reason it bums me is that I’m certain my smiles don’t start with me. I’ll bet 5 big smiles to one weak lip-wiggle any day that God is behind every one of my smiles. And I think that’s because the smile says, “I love you.” In a purely we-are-One kind of way.

And if God’s starting the smiles in me, God’s fully present in everyone’s zygo-smile muscles.

Thanks, God. Here’s smiling (back) at you!

5/10/2011

Posted on May 10, 2011 at 4:34 am by Tim · Permalink
In: God, Happiness, Oneness · Tagged with: , ,