I've felt it, and I know you have, too - the power of a complete stranger to brighten your day using nothing more than a simple smile.

When it happens, it's completely unexpected. You're momentarily taken aback. Who was that? Do I know her? You flash a smile back. Did I reciprocate in time? Did she see it?

You're suddenly giddy, picking out targets left and right, bestowing friendly grins far and wide - paying it forward. I'll smile at him - and her - not too much, eyes slightly lowered. I don't want anyone thinking I'm strange. Oh, and him! You're a veritable Santa Claus, giving cheer out of the goodness of your heart, for no other reason than it was given to you.

You feel centered and alive. Boundlessly kind. Renewed with purpose and vigor for the day. And, strangely - powerful and FREE.

Why is it that something so seemingly meaningless as a stranger's smile can restore our sense of control in an otherwise chaotic and dizzying world?

Well, unsurprisingly, I have a theory.

We go around in little independent bubbles, all day long, all week long, all year long, taking care of business and just trying to scrape by. But after a while of doing just enough, we miss the everyday kind of human connections that fuel us. 'Course, we don't really perceive that's what's wrong with us.

All we know is that life's taken on a gray and mediocre form lately. We've become vulnerable, pessimistic, fault-finding and blame-placing. Our troubles hit us harder. The headlines make us worry. We go looking for bad news, and pass it on. When the weather forecaster says the weather's going to be "bad," we feel inexplicably overwhelmed and darn near ready to burst into tears. Then we shrug our shoulders and say something sarcastic like, "It figures!" We hurry to work and make sure to tell all our co-workers that bad weather is on its way.

Then out of nowhere, somebody smiles. A smile - the universal sign for love, trust, generosity, friendliness and anything and everything that's right in this world. And it's not just any somebody - it's a somebody who doesn't know you. It's a somebody who's taking a chance on you. A somebody who trusts, without a guarantee or even a hint, that you're good, honest, and worth the time and effort. And furthermore, that you deserve to know. Imagine that.

The invisible bucket in your soul labeled "personal connections," the one that took so long to empty, is suddenly full - no - spilling over. The joy makes your face flush and your neck prickle. Despite the hurt and the skepticism we carry around with us, our walls are down in a flash. Our perspective has shifted. Maybe we can tackle the day, we think. Maybe we can do the things we've always wanted to do.

We feel good. And because we are good, we want everyone else to feel that way, too, and we pass it on. Imagine all the lost souls who've been put back on their paths because of a smile. Imagine the domino effect of thousands of lives catapulting to better choices and more happiness.

I recently watched the movie "Thirteen Conversations About One Thing." The film pulled together the seemingly separate lives of a group of strangers, all of them seeking happiness. In the struggle to hold onto success, power, independence and the requisite 18 inches of personal space, they'd become resentful of others, disconnected from the world, and anything but happy. I won't spoil the plot for you, but I will tell you that it reinforces what we've secretly known all along: we're never really alone. We're all in this together. Isn't that what really makes us happy?

Life's little bumps and knocks never quite go away. But you know, sometimes the weather forecaster is wrong. Sometimes, when we're not expecting it, someone turns on the sun.

Copyright 2011, MaryJane Butters. Distributed by United Feature Syndicate Inc.