Few realize how loud their expressions truly are. Be kind with what you wordlessly say. – Richelle E. Goodrich, author of Harrowbethian Saga series

The people whose first instinct is to smile when you make eye contact with them are some of Earth’s greatest treasures. – Author unknown

The eyes are the window to the soul. Proverbs 30:17 The light of the body is the eye. — Matthew 6:22

It’s been almost two years since we started mask wearing. I wondered if we’d move about like zombies unable to convey pleasantries by facial expressions. Could it be possible we may smile with our eyes? For months I wasn’t sure. Then church opened with masks recommended. I saw the song leader wore a mask, she swung her hand in rhythm, but mostly I noticed her eyes twinkled. Her face crinkled just outside both eyes. Between the twinkle and the crinkle, I knew she was smiling. Her countenance was happy.

I became aware of what was happening beneath my mask when I smiled. My lips would curl upward pushing the apple of my cheeks toward my eyes causing the crinkle. My upper eyelids would slightly lower. My eyebrows circled over my eyes like rainbows. I tested my theory at the market. A lady in a scooter with twin girls dressed in pink hung from each side of her basket. I made eye contact and smiled. Mask-less she smiled back. She got it. It worked. I’m sure she gets lots of smiles with twin girls dressed in pink but she recognized I was smiling. During these last few years our lives have been somewhat limited but friendly eye smiles are unlimited.

Studies show if a person is being honest with their eyes; rapid eye movement may signal otherwise. If a right-handed person looks upward and to the left, they are typically trying to recall a memory; if the person looks up and to the right, they are using their imagination or inventing an answer. A left-handed person will likely do the opposite. Observing eyes has often been used by law enforcement. Surgical doctors and teams wearing masks increase the need for communicating information via eye contact. Globally there are many countries where veils or face masks are worn as a cultural sign of respect or honoring a social contract for the benefit of others.   

Making eye contact tells how much you or the other person is interested in what you’re saying or alternately if you’re listening to them or not. Sam likes to repeat the joke, “My wife always asks if I’m listening or something like that.”

Whether or not we know it there are a number of emotions we express with our eyes including rolling eyes, raising eyebrows, winking, looking away, disinterested, excited, happy, angry, disgusted, bored, sad, unbelief, surprise, shock, sleep deprived, loving, affection, fear and more.

“The look in your eyes is the most powerful, the most important, aspect of your body language there is,” says Ingrid Gudenas.  The eyes have it.

Shannon Bardwell is a writer living quietly in the Prairie. Email reaches her at [email protected].