I’ve always wondered what’s so special about a smile that makes anything seem so beautiful with only a touch of it. I’ve never really seen a smiling face that wasn’t beautiful. Until I realized it has very little to do with the gesture itself, and more with what’s often associated with it.

Have you ever heard a smile before? Yes, “heard”? You most probably did. Try talking on the phone with someone who’s just received happy news for instance, and you’d be amazed at how easily the smile on their faces can penetrate through the speakers, to your ears, and right into your heart. Phone smiles are among my favorites, for you only get to hear the sound of their presence, then create your own image of how wide and beautiful that smile could be.

Even beyond that, have you ever felt a person smiling through a chat? Sometimes I’d have someone express something so sweet to me over a text and I’d know, somehow, my silence would translate into a very warm smile inside their heads. Maybe because of how well they know me. But I like to believe it’s also because something about smiles is so powerful, it gets to travel through all kinds of medium regardless of how little sense it might make.

Smiles are beautiful because they could be heard, read, or even felt, without necessarily seeing the real thing. Smiles are beautiful because you get to stare at them, and you still get to stare at the thought of them. Smiles are beautiful because their beauty isn’t something tangible, but all what’s associated with the smile, from happiness to contentment to warmth and optimism, is what makes them so special.

Try answering the phone with a smile on your face next time, no matter where you are or what you’re doing. Just try accompanying your very first words with one, and wait for it to penetrate through. How cute would that even be? Spreading smiles over phone calls!

Basma Zaki