You know that moment when regardless of what’s been happening in your life, you see something beautiful, or somebody says something silly and you can’t help but smile? It’s almost like the smile starts deep inside you and by the time it’s reached your face, there’s a lightness about your body that wasn’t there earlier. That’s a real smile.
My Dad had what we used to call a “wicked” smile. You’d see it on his face and wonder what was going on in that mind of his! It was a sign that something had caught his attention and made him want to laugh. Sometimes it was a memory that popped back up to amuse him.
I was the brunt of one of these memories not long ago. When my broader family gets together on Christmas day we participate in a Kris Kringle, where everyone buys a present for their same gender, wraps it up and puts it in the middle of the circle. Now, this isn’t just an ordinary Kris Kringle – this is kamikaze! One by one we go around the circle and each person chooses a present, opens it and decides whether to keep it or to swap it with one that someone has already opened! Its lots of fun.
This particular year, I had bought a “chip and dip bowl”, wrapped it and put it in middle. You know the sort of bowl…largish with a smaller bowl attached for the dip to go in. Well, it wasn’t long before my Dad (I’m sure he started it) got the giggles, because he thought the bowl looked more like something that belonged in a hospital – a bed pan!!! We were all in hysterics for ages – my Dad especially. I’ve yet to live down buying that bowl and it still brings a smile, if not a good laugh at family gatherings.
There’s something so good about moments like that. It can feel like the weight of the world leaves you for a while and you can just laugh at life, in all its silliness!
Scientists tell us that smiling actually releases endorphins and serotonin. This is just like a natural pain-killer. It is known to release stress, as well as raise self-esteem. All from a smile! Can you believe that?
There are other times when a smile appears because you see something wonderful. For me, it’s the mountains. I just love to look up at the mountains. It’s like everything comes back into perspective! I’m so small compared to the mountains. The beauty and creativity I see refreshes me and makes me smile without my even thinking about it.
What makes you smile? A sunrise or sunset? Watching a baby or toddler move around and discover things? A funny movie? Being with friends…
We need to find those things and make sure they are regularly a part of our lives.
I try to smile at people I pass on my way to work. I say try, because it is easier to do with some people than it is with others! But more often than not, a smile is returned. It may be tentative, even uncertain to start with, but it is a smile. Maybe by helping someone else smile, just for a moment, we’re relieving some of the stress in their lives…let alone what we’re doing for ourselves by smiling at them. Isn’t that worth doing?
“You’ll find that life is still worthwhile, If you just smile”
from the song Smile by Charlie Chaplin, takes on a new meaning.