Today Is World Smile Day
World Smile Day is observed the first Friday in October – a global celebration dedicated to spreading happiness and encouraging acts of kindness. This day reminds us of the simple yet powerful impact of a smile – and the joy it can bring to others and ourselves. Which brings me to a story about travel.
Yellowknife is the capital, the largest community, and the only city in Canada's Northwest Territories, according to Wikipedia. A while back, my husband and I spent a day and night in airports trying to get to Yellowknife. Why, you might ask? Two words: Northern Lights.
You may remember the cyberattack in late August at SeaTac, which led to handwritten tickets and missed flights. After a 5 a.m. arrival at SeaTac, we were delayed and re-routed, Seattle to Calgary to Edmonton, where we learned of a single seat on a flight to Yellowknife. We agreed Mr. Shepler would go ahead, and I found another flight, again via Vancouver, that would arrive in Yellowknife after midnight. The plane was small and carry-on storage was at a premium.
A man approached me and said, "Would you mind if I put my luggage under the seat in front of you? We have a short connection for our next flight, and we can't have it gate checked." I said, "Absolutely, go ahead." He offered me his first-class seat in return, and I said, "Stay with your wife. I'm good with my seat. I'm happy to babysit your luggage. You'd do it for me, I'm sure." As we were walking off the plane, the man's wife taps me on the shoulder and hands me a thank-you card, signed by both of them, with a $20 bill Canadian to buy a drink or a snack on my travels. (Who carries a thank you card in their purse?!)
The moral of the story is random acts of kindness, and now I keep that card in my purse to remind me that sometimes random acts mean more than we know. After 20 hours of travel, I could have been at the end of my rope but the unexpected thank you made something ordinary become extraordinary.
That's what we get to do in health care. The random hug, meeting people where they are, a smile in the hallway, a warm blanket, saying please and thank you – all acts of kindness. We give hope.
And as we approached Yellowknife, there were the Northern Lights in all their glory. I share them with you today.
