On Smiling and Laughing

I was sure that I was going to have the chills at some point. When I saw the length of those fingernails, and then realized that they would soon be touching me, I cringed. As our encounter went on, however, other characteristics came to the forefront. This is what happened when I went to the local haircut shop for a quick ‘#2-on-the-sides-and-back-and-get-me-my-money’s-worth-on-the-top’.

She was actually quite thorough, more so than others who have provided me service there. She did all the little things like vacuum all the cut hair after each step of the process so that they never had a chance to itch the back of my neck. And she blended her way up my head as she was going instead of doing it all then having to in essence start over when the slightest sign of one part being uneven unveiled itself. She was good, even with the long curly fingernails better kept to the likes of the Guinness Book of World Records. But it was what she said that really caught my attention.

Sometimes, my hair stylist is far more talkative than I (this is usually the case). Other times, I tend to engage them a bit more and feel like I’m almost intruding. And then there are the times when coworkers are simply enjoying their shift together, while the guy in the chair next to me and I just try and stay out of the way. I believe this particular time, we experienced all of that and more. She received phone calls verifying her hours so that other patrons wouldn’t miss her (I’m telling you, she was good). She rifled questions at me, her fellow scissor-wielding colleagues, other customers, and passersby to their establishment. Then she got on the topic of laughing.

“We just need to laugh more”, she kept on saying. It is the lack of laughing that serves as our biggest problem. Everybody just needs to stop taking themselves and everybody else so seriously. Problems would be solved left and right if we could just learn to laugh more. She went on for a while and didn’t stop until I asked her what had made her laugh the most today. She didn’t really have an answer. She mumbled something about her friend next to her who is so silly had made her laugh today and gave a quick wink, nudge and chortle in her direction.

While I didn’t wax too philosophical at the time, I believe that there is an important difference between laughing and smiling. Laughing can be too outward at times. It’s volume can too easily be used to cover up inconsistencies that are inside. Games can be played far too much with the act of laughing. Smiling comes a bit more from the soul. Smiling speaks much more in reverse proportion to the number of people involved. Smiles are almost best when silence is involved. To laugh, you need to use your mouth and others their ears. Smiles can involve the eyes.

I thought on these things as she held nearly the entire room captive. We then shuffled our way to the door, where I paid her with a sizable tip and thanked her. After all, she had tremendously improved my appearance. A stylish cut and a reminder of a quote by Charles Gordy, “a smile is an inexpensive way to change your looks”.