I while back, I was ensconced in a neck brace, the result of a surgery that had me unable to drive. So, my sweetie pie dropped me off at the health club for a nice soak in the whirlpool, a dip in the cold plunge, and a steam. I was feeling pretty good, as I made my way to a round metal table topped with an umbrella, where I sat and waited for Ryan to retrieve me.

As the health club is in the middle of a swanky mall, people were coming and going on what was a lovely, blue-sky-puffy-white-clouds kind of day. However, despite the ambiance, no one appeared the least bit happy. I watched people from behind my sunglasses. Maybe 30 folks walked by, not one of whom even attempted to make eye contact.

Note that in my neck brace I probably appeared slightly feeble, and at my age I could have been a grandmother to any one of them, so I couldn’t have appeared the least bit threatening. And still, there was a reluctance to communicate.

A young man strutted past talking importantly to himself.

A women pushed a baby carriage trailed by two small children. One little boy stared at me, perhaps intrigued by my neck brace. I smiled, but his mother moved on.

A couple marched by, heads down, grimly absorbed in their phones.

A dozen more people went by without looking at me or anyone else, at which point I started to worry about humanity.

Then, a thirtyish woman stared at me briefly and almost smiled. But she seemed embarrassed by the gesture, pressed her lips into a tight line, and turned away.

In the Psychology Today article, “Smiling at Strangers” Dr. Alex Lickerman explains that often strangers don’t smile at one another because they are so busy thinking about other aspects of their lives, that they are everywhere expect where they actually are.

But smiling, even at strangers, is good for us. It can trigger positive feelings that release hormones that help decrease stress levels. And, as Lickerman says, smiling at a stranger can be a kindness.

“To smile at a stranger in a meaningful way, then, requires we muster some kind of real feeling for them—that we care about someone we don’t know, if only in a small way. Thus, for me, smiling at strangers is a small exercise in compassion.” 

I will admit here that I didn’t always smile at strangers. But when I became a teacher, a peer sat me down and explained that it would be benificial if I could perhaps be a bit nicer. Eventually I started saying hello to anyone who walked by when I was on campus.

Today, I continue the practice when Ryan and I are out on our morning walk with the dogs. We say “Good morning!” to everyone we pass, and often the change in that stranger’s demeanor is shocking, a bright smile replacing what had been a dour countenance.

As I waited for my ride, I had pretty much given hope, but then a young man gave me a nod and a small smile. At which point, a fortyish women in black stopped, graced me with a beautiful smile, and called out, “Feel better!”

And I did!

Your Forgotten Sons

Inspired by a true story

Anne Montgomery

Bud Richardville is inducted into the Army as the United States prepares for the invasion of Europe in 1943. A chance comment has Bud assigned to a Graves Registration Company, where his unit is tasked with locating, identifying, and burying the dead. Bud ships out, leaving behind his new wife, Lorraine, a mysterious woman who has stolen his heart but whose secretive nature and shadowy past leave many unanswered questions. When Bud and his men hit the beach at Normandy, they are immediately thrust into the horrors of what working in a graves unit entails. Bud is beaten down by the gruesome demands of his job and losses in his personal life, but then he meets Eva, an optimistic soul who despite the war can see a positive future. Will Eva’s love be enough to save him?

Release Date: June 6, 2024

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