Senior to Senior: Smile Behind the Mask

It’s still possible to make new friends, even in these days of social distancing. It may seem strange at first. You find yourself chatting with these new “friendly” people every time you meet, but you’ve never actually seen their faces. The usual summer/fall garb for seniors consists of a hat, sunglasses, and often a mask; talk about incognito! When you do get around to exchanging pictures, you discover that your new friends don’t look anything like you imagined. The one thing you do know for sure is that there is a smile behind their masks. Face coverings are now a part of our daily appearance, and while you may not like it, it is what it is. A wave of a hand, a nod, and a quick good morning have come to say it all. You may be smiling on the inside of the mask but if no one knows it, is that enough? Let’s see, with only your eyes and your forehead showing, it is hard to tell if a person is smiling or frowning, but it can be done. How do you compensate verbally for losing the ability to express yourself with your face? • Slow down your speech • Change the tone and pitch of your voice • Articulate more clearly • Speak louder Non-verbal communication: • Wear a mask with a smile printed on it • Make eye contact • Convey enthusiasm in other ways (wave, thumbs up gesture, clapping hands together, shrugging shoulder) Smiles are the most effective way to convey warmth, safety, empathy, compassion and gratitude. A smile can lift your spirits like nothing else in the whole world. Try not to let Covid19 erase the smile from your face. For now, words are all we have, so put your best words forward. You are still “you” and they are still “them”; you are still warm friendly human beings. The very fact that they are wearing a mask tells you that they care about you, and that you care about them. Practice if you need to, but let the world know that there is a smile behind your mask.