What’s Behind a Smile?

On a news report after the suicide of Kate Spade her friend said, “The Kate I knew always had a smile on her face.”

A smile can be an illusion.

A lot can be hidden behind the mask of a smile. A smile is not always what it appears to be. A smile is not always authentic. Unfortunately we cannot always trust the appearance of a smile.

Only the person wearing the smile knows the true reason for their smile.

There are many reasons why I smile:

1. I smile to hide my pain.
2. I smile to disguise my anger.
3. I smile when I am sad.
4. I smile when I am happy.
5. I smile because it makes me feel a little better.
6. I smile when I am nervous.
7. I smile when I don’t know what to say.
8. I smile hoping my smile will remind my brain to be happy and feel happy.
9. I smile to make other people happy.
10. I smile to comfort other people.
11. I smile because I love my children.
12. I smile when something is funny.
13. I smile when I feel peaceful and content.
14. I smile to welcome you into my soul.

A lot is hidden behind a smile, but the eyes can never lie.

You can never disguise your eyes completely. I wear make-up to make my eyes look pretty and try to disguise my pain, but pain is hidden in the eyes behind the smile. The eyes are the window to the soul and my soul holds the truth of all my secrets.

I have heard many people say after someone dies by suicide that when they looked at pictures of them they could see the pain. It was there. They say they should have looked closer. When we know what to look for and after we know the truth then it’s easy to see it. Hindsight is 20/20.

Robin Williams and the singer Chester Bennington of Linkin Park are two celebrities that died by suicide. Their sadness was visible if you looked closely into their eyes. If you look at pictures of Robin Williams or Chester Bennington from Linkin Park you can see the sadness in their eyes and in their face, especially if they are not hiding behind their smile masks.

Look closely into people’s eyes. You can see a lot in their eyes. The eyes are the windows to the soul and there is much beauty inside the windows of the soul.  The soul  holds our truth. The soul holds the blueprint of the person God intended us to be. We are still in there regardless of other masks we hide behind. The soul always lives behind the interference of pain, illness and trauma.

When you look at someone really look at them. See them. Look into their eyes and fully engage with them. Look closely into someone’s eyes so you can see how they are truly feeling and who they are. See and know their pain if and when it is there. See and feel their joy and love if and when it is there. Look into people’s eyes and get to know who they are.

Don’t settle for the masks of outer appearances. Dig deep and look deep into the heart and soul of people. There is much beauty and stories behind pain, mental illness, other illnesses, trauma, a bad day, heartache and so much more. Search for people’s true identity. Find their inner beauty. Everyone has it. God put it there. Sometimes we have to look deeper to find their beauty, but it is there. Be patient and I guarantee you will find it.

A person’s true beauty lies behind the eyes and lives within the soul.

~written by Susan Walz

---

Copyright © 2018 Susan Walz | myloudbipolarwhispers.com | All Rights Reserved

Advertisement