You just never know when it’s going to happen. I’m talking about using the 12 facial muscles that create a smile. The spontaneous grin that creates an instant facelift.
The other day I was driving down the street and happily stopped for a duck family to cross the road. Despite the fact they have other means of transportation, they prefer the waddle mode. It made me grin and I noticed it made other people were grinning too. Nature can be one of the best smile makers. I automatically smiled when I looked out my living room window one afternoon and saw two morning doves sitting on the branch of a Ponderosa Pine. They were so smitten with one another that they didn’t notice me when I went outside. Watching the tiny and colourful hummingbirds zoom in to the feeder with their lovely buzzing noise tends to make the mouth turn upward as well.
I took my Mom to the Doctor recently. The appointment was one of the “squeeze-you-in” ones and one of the other patients allowed us to go ahead of her. That made us both smile, as it was such a considerate gesture. Giving and receiving help is a definite smile booster.
You see someone on the street that you know, so you toot you horn, they wave and you wave like you haven’t seen them in eons. You saw them recently, but you still wave and carry on like it’s been forever. It’s fun isn’t it? I believe the comic, George Carlin did a whole routine on this.
My dog is a great source of smiles for me. I’ll be driving home and for no apparent reason whatsoever Huey will reach over and give me a doggy kiss. Just one. Then he’ll swivel his eyes sideways to look at me (‘cause he knows he looks cute when he does this) and I tell him I love him too. I swear he looks pleased and his whole body seems to smile. Of course this is just a buttering up process to sit on my knee while I drive. Sometimes I’ll let him if I’m about 1 minute from home and then I get another kiss, as if to say thank you. Yep, it makes my whole body smile too.
Oh, and I’m sure you’ve seen those teeny weeny cars. They only take up half a parking space. Every single time I see one of those cars I smile. Their size ensures their cuteness. I’m sure the owners have big smiles as they drive up to the gas pump these days.
I teach people in my workshops that humour should never be at the expense of someone else. Someone said that “sarcasm is the lowest form of wit”. It makes people feel “less than” and this creates negative energy. Humour must always lift people up and make them feel wonderful, creating the positive energy that our bodies need.
Remember, every time you smile at something during the day, your body will benefit immediately. The stress hormones are lowered, your “feel good” hormones kick in, plus your immune system is boosted. You‘ll never know how your smile may impact on someone else’s life. If you need to, smile at yourself in the mirror. I hand out my trademark mirror cards at every workshop I present. They read, “you are looking at the face of the person who will determine your happiness today”. Smiles are free and you can give them away to everyone, including yourself, and still feel like your glass is half full.
Carole Fawcett is a Stress Management Consultant, Laughter Coach, Freelance Writer and Therapeutic Clown Teacher. She lives in beautiful British Columbia, Canada on the side of a Mountain in a little cottage with her dog Huey. For more information see: http://www.afunnybusiness.ca
