Smiles

This morning I rode the subway in to my regular 7:30 AM meeting.  The crowd on the subway was, as usual, quiet and seemed somewhere between resigned and stoic about the fact that they were heading in to work.  I walked from the subway in to my regular 7:30 AM meeting and was struck by how pretty much everyone was smiling and/or chatting.  The atmosphere was light and joyful.  I was blown away by the contrast with the mood on the subway and more than a little disturbed about the fact that I don't notice this every day.

Then I went in to my work, a rats maze of cubicles surrounded by small offices.  Again, the difference was striking.  Here you could probably find most flavors of unhappiness and smiles were scarce.  Unfortunately, this is something I do notice most days.

Why do I so easily see the darkness and take the light for granted?  It's something I need to do some thinking about.  I also need to think about just how effective a smile can be and I need to do more of that at work.  At the very least I should have some fun making people wonder what's wrong with me.