Smile

I am fascinated by people's faces. All kinds of them. They give you a glimpse into the person. They may be saying something but meaning something else. They may be projecting something but being something else. But the faces, they give it away. I am particularly taken by the face that tells you that the person before you is half-dead. Expressionless, almost. Like a stone or a boulder. Lifeless in some way. It tells me that whatever it is the person is doing in his life, s/he needs to rethink it. Because it sure isn't something that they seem to be enjoying doing. And perhaps what is missing is a purpose. What you may also call a meaning in their lives. Living because living is all you can do. Almost like you have been forced to do it. At least that's what those expressionless expressions tell me. I have to say that I almost feel scared to see such faces. I pray to God that  I don't, at any point in my day, look like that. So, when I catch myself in the mirror looking all cold, stoned and numb. I simply smile. And try to loosen up. It's so important to remember that nothing is as serious as we think it really is.
Then there is the other kind of face that people put up to keep people away from them. Haughty, browsed up faces, almost like a sadist little Elizabethan character. They may think that they are being very sharp but they seem rather stupid. Not only does it tell how small they are being and what a great amount of humility they lack but it also ensures that they get a bad publicity behind their back. And I have heard it for a number of people for putting up such faces. The sad part is that even though they may know that they are not exactly the most popular people around, they seem to enjoy the infamy. Or perhaps they just can't help looking like the way they do. Whatever it is, these guys too need to smile once in a while at least. Nothing will serve better for their PR than a nice little smile.
The third kind of faces that I find interesting to observe are old people's faces. It is almost like you are looking at a person's entire history. In all of their wrinkles, withered eyes and receding hairline, you find marks of a life long lived. It is scary, of course. You know that someday you will be one of them. And since you already know that there is nothing golden about old age, you are not really excited about being in their shoes some day. Sometimes, I stumble upon old faces with regret-filled eyes. And whenever I see that, I resolve to live better so that I am not at the receiving end of such an observation ever.
I love the song 'Smile' by Avril Lavigne in which she is seen putting together the broken pieces of people's hearts and in the process getting the smiles back on their faces. It's a song that beautifully captures how all we need to smile at times is to get our hearts back in order.