The look on my 20-month-old granddaughter's face when she heard a violin for the very first time was pure magic. Her eyes widened, her smile stretched from ear to ear, and I was reminded that children discover wonder every day. Perhaps the joy isn't missing from our lives as adults. Maybe we've simply stopped looking for it.

"Most people don't stop to talk because they assume I must be using drugs."

One simple smile led to an unexpected conversation about stigma, judgement and the stories we create about people we don't even know. What if the people we avoid are the very people who have the most to teach us? Perhaps the greatest barrier to connection isn't difference, but the assumptions we make.

We don't give up smiling at babies when they don't smile straight back. We simply keep showing up and trust that connection will come. Perhaps we should offer one another the same grace. A smile is never wasted, and sometimes the seeds we plant today are the connections that grow tomorrow.