I have been told that I have a wonderful smile. Thanks Mom! She has the same smile. My daughter has it too. I love that our smile is genetic...literal happiness that has been handed down over the generations. That makes me smile.
There are the physical attributes of a smile that make some better than others. I am not sure if that is what we have, I just know that all of us, seem to have been born with a smile within.
It is this radiating outwards that all of us do that I think is what other people notice, comment upon and cherish. It is this inward smile that all of us seem to have, this interior smile that leaves our interiority and is shared with others. I think a smile is the soul’s communion. And who doesn’t love a soulful Eucharist?
Sometimes when I am feeling lousy, depressed, down, upset - I will go into the bathroom at work or my car and smile to myself. It looks crazy for sure which is why I seek privacy. But it works. If I am down, upset, hurt, sad or otherwise oriented towards the less positive aspects of my life, if I can just smile, even just to myself, I can change my own interior landscape almost instantly.
Smiling at animals also works. Which is why I have so many. They provide unlimited amounts of smiling opportunities and I love that wherever I look in my home, there is some furry being doing something that is worth smiling at...well most days. Somedays they are large pains in the ass...
If you don’t believe me, try it sometime. Some day when you are circling your own drain, feeling low and lousy, go somewhere where no one can see you and smile to yourself. It is best in a mirror because even your own reflection is capable of lifting your own spirits. It isn’t as great as when another smiles at you, but in a pinch, it will do.
Smiling changes everything for me. Makes a hard look, softer, a wistful gaze more open and friendly. It alters my insides when they are most in need of being uplifted. A smile begins a new alchemy of living, altering the course of a moment, and if I am lucky a day.
My absolute favorite is when someone smiles with their eyes. The dancing eyes holding delight, most especially when the delight is cast in your direction, makes me feel oh so special and adored. Adoration is something the world needs more of in my opinion, so I endeavor to give it as often as I can. To be adored is to more fully live. Most often in my life, the adoration has come from the furry pals in my life. I will take it in whatever form I can. Really. I am sucker for it. And since I know how very much it gladens my heart, I endeavor to give it away as much as I receive it.
And for me, all of the positivity begins with a heartfelt smile that holds me in good stead. I am so incredibly grateful for having a smile that radiates an inner glow. For being able to share that with others, strangers on the street and friends and family much closer to me. I am happy to have the gift of a smile to share with the world. When I think of the other gifts I have been given, this one really takes center stage. My ability to give something so seemingly simple, and yet so profound a true treasure in my life. And of course a smile operates under the natural law of not being able to pass along something you don't have...
My dog smiles and I like to think that I taught her this...she is smarter than me so it is likely the other way around. She hugs too. And while I am sure most of that is just an outward display of her amazing intelligence...I know that because there is a lot of hugging and smiling in my home, that was the foundation for her. Well, at least that is what I am going to tell myself...
It is all in the smile. Life’s many blessings increased and life’s hardship lessened just by being willing to smile. To share the joy, compassion and understanding with all encountered hoping only that the sharing makes a difference in any way it can. Smile and the whole world smiles with you...really. Try it sometime.
