Winkers have always had a special place in my heart. My first crush as a young child was on an elderly man (who was married -- Sh! Scandalous!) -- all because of the twinkle in his eye as he winked at me.
What's in a wink?
I've been known to flash a wink at my kiddos to alert them to my teasing. It's a wink that says, "Don't take me seriously, sweetie -- you know I love you!"
I'll wink as I smile at a tiny stranger who is unabashedly staring at me in the grocery store. This time, the wink is saying, "Don't worry, someday you'll get old and funny-looking too..."
Winking can be a way of letting someone in on a secret, asking them to join me in a joke, or helping them understand the fine print -- that some restrictions may apply.
When I'm hurrying through the hall at church and can't take time to say hi to everyone, I'll smile, nod, wink in different directions, not wanting anyone to feel neglected or ignored. So these winks are saying, "You're valuable to me even though my rushing past you may make you wonder!"
This post was inspired by watching my three year old practicing his winking in the mirror. The eye movements were accompanied by hand signals that definitely got this message across: "You, my friend, are one cool dude!"
I'm glad my little guy has such a positive self-image! And what a wonderful thing a wink can be -- a tiny twitch of the eye that can get across such happy feelings!
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