There's a new sign greeting passengers boarding the bus at Capilano Mall.
Barbara Boulter, a North Vancouver resident, noticed a white "Smile" sign painted on the pavement as she was waiting for the bus last week. She doesn't know who made the sign, but it got her thinking.
"I started getting angry," she said. "Why do we have to be told to smile? Why does everybody have to walk around looking so miserable all the time?" She wants Dec. 23 to be declared a Smile Day, and she's hoping it will help cheer up North Vancouver residents.
Boulter suffered from depression for 11 years, but now she makes a point of smiling and saying hello to people on the street. Getting out of the house and interacting with strangers helps lift her mood, she said.
People might look at her strangely at first, she said, but then they usually respond with a smile. "That's my purpose, to make somebody feel good for a few minutes," she said.
She partly blames computers and the Internet for a lack of smiles. "The world has gone so crazy, so automatic, there's just not that personal touch anymore," she said.
"People are stressed and anxious at this time of year because they're busy working and shopping," she said.
The last few days before Christmas can also be tough for a lot of people, especially those who have lost a loved one this year, she said.
She wants to see more smile signs pop up around North Vancouver, and she's hoping the reminder will help everybody smile more often, especially those who suffer from depression.
