Letter to the Editor: Smiling a simple way to serve

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    Dear Editor,

    “Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve.” The motto stands true for nearly all of the 30,000 students at BYU. However, many students have difficulty finding time to serve their fellow classmates and community. I, for one, try to find time to do some service, but my slender calendar seems to push it out.

    Recently, however I have discovered a service that doesn’t take much time at all. It is called a smile. This simple alteration of the lips can change some person’s stressful morning into one that is full of hope and light. One morning was going so bad I thought I would be the last person to smile. But someone came to my rescue. I couldn’t believe the effect that a complete stranger’s glowing countenance had on me, especially when it was directed my way.

    I decided to try it out. I walked around campus greeting frowns with smiles, and was appalled at the changes I saw in their faces and my own. Nothing is more satisfying to me than to see someone happy because of something I did. I think it is something that this campus could see a little more of. Yes, he or she may be a stranger, and yes I may never see him or her again on campus but hey, a smile is a thing that is never to be wasted especially if someone needs one. If you make one person smile, think how likely it is for them to share that light with others, and you can’t find time to serve, make time to smile.

    Tyler Woolstenhulme

    Idaho Falls, Idaho

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