Your smiling eyes
During the darkest time of what most consider a difficult year, it may feel like we are alienated from our own community. We are trying to protect each other from a deadly virus that has taken from us nearly a thousand of our fellow Montanans, and some of our own family members and friends. We are hugging less, visiting less and personally interacting less with fellow Lake County folks.
When we do get a chance to go out, even just to get groceries or a haircut, it can feel like a breath of fresh air. Of course, that breath is through a mask, and we miss seeing each other smile.
But take another look. Those beautiful smiles are still there. We just need to remember to read the smile in each others’ eyes. All across the county, the state, the world, the universal language of smiling helps thaw the cold that can build up in our isolation. Look for it in our front line workers, health care providers, public servants, volunteers, coworkers.
And if you don’t see it in someone, try giving one back. A little crinkle of our eyes is easy enough, and it can make all the difference to someone feeling the weight of these times.
May 2021 bring us together again in health and prosperity.
Photos by Carolyn Hidy and Emily Lonnevik
