They would be wrong.

Please know, that as we gaze upon faces and facial expressions, there are people that cannot produce that warm smile – not out of coldness or disinterest, but out of pure FACIAL PARALYSIS.

I am one of those people.

I’ve come to CPTSD foundation because I, like too many others, live with the detritus of pain from earlier years. And much of that pain revolves around the disconnect given me by those who saw a frozen or rigid facial expression as weird or worthy of “othering”.

Please do not assume that humanity’s warmth is tied up in a smile alone, for there are people in your communities whose hearts glow warm inside with empathy, but whose faces belie their felt sense.

If you don’t see a smile, don’t stop there and assume… Try looking within. Realize that we all have differences – not only in skin color or language or gender identities but also in how we look, how we move, how we speak…

Please include us all in your circles of warmth. Know that even smiling, just like seeing, hearing and walking… varies. Find the people within.