Windows
I am not sure which came first houses without windows or people without smiles.
As I walk around or drive around I always look at the houses in neighborhoods. Houses are really quite fascinating, especially older ones that seem to have a unique character that sometimes seem lacking in some of the more modern or newer subdivisions.
Something I am not sure you have noticed is that new construction, new houses usually lack windows on at least one side and sometimes even two sides of the house. Or if there are windows, there is only one or possibly two.
I suspect that perhaps it is easier to put up a solid wall, or even cheaper, that it is to put in a window or two. Apartments frequently only have windows on one side.
When I see a house that does not have windows on all the sides it makes me imagine that the inside of the house is stuffy. Without windows all around there is no real possibility for true cross ventilation. I suspect that without windows all around there is more reliance on forced air, either heating or cooling.
The reduced number of windows also limits the amount of natural light that can enter the dwelling.
“A smile is a light in the window of your face to show your heart is at home. (Unknown)
Have you ever noticed someone who’s eyes sparkle or twinkle, perhaps it was someone in love, or someone who was very happy over some thing in their life. The eyes and the mouth can reveal so much about a person and what they are feeling or even thinking. Some of this we are instinctively programed to understand but some of it we ignore.
When you start seeing how unhappy people look, how they don’t smile, how their eyes are either focused straight ahead or even downcast, it is hard not to wonder about the lack of joy in their life. Do people wonder the same thing about you?
“He should expound with a smile the wonderful meaning of the Dharma to bhiksus and bhiksunis, to upasakas and upasikas, to kings and princes, to government officials, and to common people.” (Lotus Sutra, Chapter XIV)
