HOW OFTEN DO YOU SMILE?

"A smile is a curve that sets everything straight." - Phyllis Diller

Smile

William Arthur Ward, said that "A warm smile is the universal language of kindness." We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do. A smile is that light in your window that tell others that there is a caring, sharing person inside. Have you ever watched someone else face transform, the moment you looked at them and without any word spoken, you set their face aglow with the power of your smile? What a feeling.

Listen, a smile costs nothing, but gives much. It enriches those who receive, without making poorer those who give. It takes a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts a lifetime. None is so rich or mighty that he can get along without it, and none is so poor, but that he can be made rich by it. A smile creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in business, and is the counter sign of friendship. It brings rest to the weary, cheer to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and it is nature’s best antidote for trouble. Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is of no value to anyone, until it is given. Some people are too tired to give you a smile; Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give.

There's nothing as captivating and encouraging as a merry heart. There's enough valid reason to not be happy, or smile, all around but if you're honest enough you'll realize that making others feel better than you left them is a priority we can't afford to neglect. It all starts with a smile. It's cheap, affordable and readily available - you just need to decide. As for me and my household, we chose to smile through it all no matter what. How about you?

A MERRY HEART

"A smile is a curve that sets everything straight." - Phyllis Diller 

Here's a little story; A Rich man died and was met at the Pearly Gates by St. Peter. He was ushered into heaven where he was taken past mansion after mansion and through street after street paved with gold. Finally, they came to the end of the street and he was shown a small shack and was told that this was where he was going to be living. “Why do I get this ugly little shack when there are so many beautiful Mansions all around that I could live in?” the rich man asked. “Well,” St. Peter said, “We did the best we could with the money you sent us!”

Yes, a smile is something that can be likened to "money", it has the ability to buy healing for a wounded heart. It can be in adequate, but never too much. Ever wondered how people smile back when you first smile at them? Or noticed the feeling of happiness that wells up in you somehow when you smile? Truth be told you can't afford much if you don't smile much. Be generous with your smile don't hoard it.

You're Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile

Wisdom Nugget: "A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired"

Smile
Source: Photo Pin

“If you can find humour in anything, you can survive it.” - Bill Cosby

Laughter is physically good for you like a vitamin - it relieves muscle tension, improves your memory, boosts your immune system and helps prevent heart disease; among other things. It’s worth it to even fake laughter at your boring friend's "unfunny" jokes. It calms you down, why deny yourself the pleasure? A little drop of healthy humour will settle things down between friends after a bitter argument, faster than anything I know. Irrespective of the weight of that burden, it’s shattered under the strength of a generous dose of healthy humour - humour makes burdens light keeping them from crushing us.

Just in case you're one of those who find almost every joke not funny enough, here are a few pointers to (help) make you laugh.

1. Think of something you find funny. Not surprisingly, the easiest way to laugh is to think of something that you personally find very amusing. This can be useful for those occasions where everybody but you is laughing at a joke. Hear Agnes Repplier, "We cannot really love anybody with whom we never laugh"

2. Smile: If you do want to fake or create a laugh, start with a smile. Scientists have found that genuine laughter is almost accompanied by the contraction of about 15 facial muscles, most of which are the same you use when you smile, it can actually put you in a better mood and make you more apt to laugh. Smiling has been shown to make you feel good; therefore a smile precedes laughter, as you have to feel good before you laugh.

3. Laugh at the appropriate time. Genuine laughs almost always begin at the end of a phrase or sentence.

4. Watch one of your favourite comedies, or ask your friends for a funny movie they have recently watched. You could go watch it with them for more laughs.

5. Talk about something cheerful or funny.

6. Have your own sense of humour too. Make your own joke - something that is truly funny to you.

Laughter is contagious. It’s also beneficial to life and relationships. Laughter reduces stress and tension. Laughter stimulates the immune system. Laughter increases natural painkillers in the blood leading to a decrease in systemic inflammation. Laughter reduces blood pressure and lifts your spirits. Laughter brings couples closer - it keeps a relationship fresh. Jay Leno puts it thus, “You can’t stay mad at somebody who makes you laugh.”

Our emotional, spiritual and physical health improves with daily doses of joy in the Lord. So today make sure you take some time to laugh and rejoice. Joy, smiles, gratitude and laughter are perfect medicines for our soul, available to everyone without negative side effects. Why not give yourself a generous dose of laughter today?