Smiling to a twisted mirror

I did not grow up in Bulgaria. I came here when I was 21. There, where I grew up people used to smile to strangers when they meet them on the stairs, when faced in the store or an elevator.

Then I arrived at Sofia airport on a winter day with a soft polypropylene lizard on a wire in my hand (my pet, named Szczurek Jaszczurek), a $200 hat and 2 suitcases. It was in the early 90s and Bulgarians were going through a hard time.

Can you imagine me walking my pet propylene lizard in bright colours, my fancy coat and hat on a muddy winter street of a browny city that doesn't smile?

People thought that I was laughing at them. Some thought that I was crazy.

Today, 15 years later, I still smile at strangers but it is not much easier for them to accept my smile. Recently, at a NETWORKING reception of an HR company that I just heard of that night, I was approached by a woman asking me some specifics with the introduction: "you must be one of the organizers, since you smile all the time"... I guess that some people find my smile foolish, other - irrelevant.

The old guard of the office (he must be 70+) even thinks that I fancy him because I smile to him, so he is encouraged to approach me and ask for a kiss.

But I also believe that this is the right way to approach people, it will brighten someone's day, it will facilitate contact and it makes me feel myself.

Otherwise, after 15 years of smiling to a twisted mirror, I must adapt to local culture and stop smiling...

Are you smiling from the morning, to strangers and vague acquaintances? Is your brand smiling or adapting to local culture?