Peace Begins...

Posted by Mimi Meredith at 7/19/2008 11:21 AM and is filed under uncategorized
"Peace begins with a smile."
—Mother Teresa

I am having a hard time today as it is the beginning of my last week in Red Lodge. It is a shame that I should spend one moment of my time here feeling wistful, yet the beginning of ends is always difficult for me. I think I got that from my beautiful mother, who would practically begin any visit home with the words, "I hate for you to leave!"

Going back to Phoenix is loaded with blessings. I will relish the sounds of the voices of my children's friends in our house. I will hug all my dear neighbors and schedule time to catch up over coffee with my friend Sandy. I will connect with my hairstylist and spirit mate, Lori. And I'll make it back to the YMCA to see Anna, who will be quite upset that I considered my few gentle hikes and daily walks a substitute for the regime she's tried to introduce to my life.

Still, what I will miss is a sense of community. I will miss both Red Lodge, and my hometown of Miles City. I will even miss Billings—the big city. I will miss communicating casually with people at the grocery store about random subjects such as uses for apricot jelly (I love it melted into butter and tossed over steamed carrots...now my new friend from Beartooth Market knows that too, and I know that she prefers hers with peanut butter.) The warm and open way people connect here isn't born of customer service training, it comes from the sense that we're all connected. It's just the way you treat one another. It's not intrusive and it doesn't mean we're "friends" in the "Come over for some pizza and beer" kind of friendship, but it's the kind of extension of oneself that Mother Teresa would hope the world could learn to share. It's a sense of true hospitality.

If you're a shy person, or if you aren't in a position to interact with the public everyday, you can still generate the peace-building kindness that will grow good communities. It truly is as simple as a smile shared with a stranger, a neighbor, the mailman...and let it be an intentional smile. You need not say anything out loud, but the thoughts that give root to that smile might be simple word prayers..."peace to you"..."take care"..."I understand." The latter smile of understanding is a great one to bestow on the mother at Target trying to wrestle three children and still make it through the checkout lane.

When we connect with a smile, we are breaking the isolation bubbles that many feel safely protect them from the world. My friend Deena (also a native of Miles City who now also resides in Phoenix) and I comment frequently on how those bubbles in turn create a sense of isolation for those with no need for that kind of personal insulation. She and I are both engagers of the world, but when a trip to the supermarket leaves you bumping into impenetrable bubble spaces all around you, it can leave you feeling quite lonely...exactly the opposite of the way a community should feel.

"Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing." Mother Teresa

So today, start with smiling in your house. If you're blessed by the presence of other humans in your home, look them in the eye and smile at them. Say nothing. They'll wonder what on earth you've put in your coffee! If you're in a house alone, practice smiling at yourself in the mirror. Put your best word prayer behind it..."you're blessed!" might be a good one. It's good to practice smiling. Anyone who has ever heard me speak knows I love to talk about why I lift my apples—the little round part of my cheeks. It makes my brain think I have some cause for feeling happy and peaceful, so it complies with the message sent by my face, and before you know it, I feel better. I look better, too. I remember my mother catching me with a pouty or disdainful expression on my face and she'd say, "careful, your face will freeze that way." As an adult, I've encountered enough perpetually cranky-faced folk to know she was right—face freeze can happen—so let your expression be a pleasant one!

Carry your peace-making smiles to the world, even when you're mad at it...especially then. There is so much beauty and goodness still left all around us. It is waiting for you to help it grow. Your smile might be just the one God is waiting to use to grow new goodness today. Don't miss the chance!



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