I own a collection of smiles. I’ve been collecting smiles for many years–as long as I can remember. So, by now, I have accumulated a very sizable collection.

This is my system: As I walk along, I look people in the eye, smile, and try to get them to smile back. Every now and then, someone refuses to look at me as we pass and I fail to get a smile. But sometimes my system is especially successful.

My husband and I and some friends were at the Winnipeg Folk Festival this summer. The music was effervescent – all sorts of instruments, from strings to horns to drums to voices, with wild dancing in the sun. So, I hit 100% with my smile-collecting system. All day and all evening, in rhythm with the music, my smile stretched from ear-to-ear. And absolutely everyone I met answered my smile with a smile.

I know what you’re going to say: how do you collect smiles? People usually collect things–teacups, porcelain figurines, stamps, rare coins, beer bottles, etc. etc. Most collectible things take up space-you can fill up a big house with collectible things. When I was a teenager, I had a collection of oriental figurines; my mother complained that they always needed dusting. And, most collectibles cost money, sometimes a lot of money.

My smile collection doesn’t need shelf space or any dusting. Every smile flows inside me and leaves an imprint on my soul. Smiles are free. And there’s always room for more smiles.

Do you collect smiles?