The Difference a SMILE can Make

So late-Lee I’ve been thinking about how much I miss walking down the halls at work and seeing people smile. I’m a smiler…I’m a big ole cheesy grinner! Did you know that smiling is #2 on the list of 43 Habits of Absolutely Happy People? Smiling has a ton of benefits besides just making us look better…LOL!

Have you ever been in a sour mood and then someone comes along with a huge smile, some laughter, or they just seem in a really good mood? Perhaps a baby looked up at you and smiled. When you realize it really wasn’t a gassy smile, how did this make you feel? Admit it. You know you smiled back.

When the person you are talking to or the people that surround you are smiling, you can’t help but smile with them. A smile has special powers. It can calm fear, insecurity, hurt and anxiety not only in yourself, but in those that are experiencing those feelings. The next time someone is feeling sad, scared, nervous, whatever it may be, smile with them and see how this makes them feel! When my mom died, I seriously thought I would never smile again. I even felt guilty when I did. But, what I realized is my mama would be very sad if she knew I wasn’t smiling because of her. I’m certain she would look down from heaven and wag her finger at me exclaiming, “Rhonda Marie, you better get your mess (er…she might say a different word) together.” And as soon as I would hear my middle name, I knew I had better listen.

A smile is a contagious action. Smile at the world and the world will smile back at you. I used to challenge the students I taught to walk down the halls smiling. We looked like a goofy group grinnin’ like a possum eatin’ a sweet tater, but we received numerous smiles in return. You will brighten the days of those around and make a difference in their lives… simply by smiling! When you’re smiling, no doubt you’re having a much better time than when you’re not! Smiling simply makes you feel better! Research has shown that smiling releases serotonin – a neurotransmitter that produces feelings of happiness and wellbeing. It’s like a circle of happiness. Smile and you feel happy, you feel happy and you smile! Even when you’re not feeling great, try smiling, genuinely, and see how you feel! 

Additional benefits of smiling: Lowers blood pressure, relieves stress, strengthens your immune system, and decreases pain. Since it takes at a minimum 10 muscles to create that smile, you can also claim smiling as physical activity. It only takes 6 to frown, so turn those lips upward and celebrate because you are burning calories!

So, what in the world are we supposed to do now? I mean masks are covering the smiles. I challenge you to let that smile appear in other ways. If you smile and speak at the same time, you have a happier voice. Not everyone can be as lucky as me. My voice is a happy voice (or at least that’s what I tell myself). It’s high pitched, so people tend to remember me as the girl with that voice. I had secretly hoped that the mask would take my soprano voice down to a Demi Moore raspy sexy voice, but all it did was, well…nothing.

Regardless of the mask or not, don’t stop smiling! There is too much in life to celebrate. In Proverbs 17:22, we find, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” At my age, I have enough issues with my bones. I’ll stick with the cheerful heart! I often get picked on for trying to be a half full kind of girl! The reality is that just because I wear the smile, doesn’t mean I don’t recognize that there are problems, it simply means I’m choosing to look at them as opportunities and am thankful for what God has given me and guided me through.

Let’s start a movement…a monumental smile movement and see how many smiles we can share. Even with a mask, your eyes will share that smile!