Busy? Not too busy to smile and make someone's day.

A day without sand between my toes on Silver beach where I live, is a day that has not reached its full potential.
Only a gale force wind or torrential rain keeps me away.

I was on my way home from a vigorous walk and the tide was rushing in. I was walking on soft sand high up the beach to keep out of the waves.
Coming towards me were the distant figures of a big man with a small child beside him. She was about 3 years old, hanging on to her dad's finger.
I was amused to see how BUSY this little girl was.
Her head was down and her small bare feet were working the small hillocks of sand ... nothing to my adult feet but hers were climbing up the small slopes and down the other side, over and over again. She wasn't whining to be picked up and the only support from the man at her side was the security of his finger in her tiny fist.
Her curls bobbed and her dimpled knees pumped in her busyness. She was intent on her progress along the beach.

When she was three metres away from me she was suddenly aware of someone coming towards her. Without breaking stride she met my gaze and raised her free hand and gave me a vigorous starfish wave. Her face split in a smile so broad that her eyes sparkled with pleasure.
Faintly stunned I stopped to watch them go towards the car park. The man strolled slowly to allow his little girl to keep pace with him.
I felt privileged to have been counted as her new 'friend' and enormously blessed by the benediction of her wave and smile.
I found myself grinning like an imbecile the rest of my way home.

I made a mid year resolution on the spot to smile and wave at perfect strangers. If nothing else it changes the way I feel about myself and my spirits lift as I often garner a surprised smile in return. People sometimes stop to ask what is making me so cheerful. I tell them about a small girl in a red dress who made my day.

I think of it as being a blessing to be blessed......or is that downright unrealistic in this world of wars, financial disasters, earthquakes and murder?