Universal Language

 Close your eyes and smile at least once a day.  Anonymous

Several years ago at work I happened to pass someone's cubicle door with the above picture hanging on it.  It was accompanied by this caption: close your eyes and smile at least once a day.  Of course, I complied and immediately felt better.

Have you ever heard the saying that it takes more muscles to frown than smile?  The truth is that no one is quite sure if that statement is completely valid or just an old wives' tale.  However, whether smiling uses more muscles or not, it is fair to say that it certainly takes more effort to frown. 

 

With that being said, I believe the best thing about a smile is it’s the ultimate way of saying more by saying less.  Smiling is interpretative and has the power to communicate without saying a blessed word.

For example, twice I have traveled to China and both times I possessed no ability to speak the language.  However, it was amazing to me that even though I could barely order coffee in Chinese, a smile spoke volumes.  When I did try to speak my pathetic version of Chinese I got a lot of laughs and smiles.  It is possible that as they were smiling they were thinking me an idiot, nonetheless I was communicating.

Another great example of a smile is from the movie, A Christmas Carol.  It is at the end when Scrooge comes to visit his nephew for supper after he had just been visited by the three Christmas Ghosts.  He is in the parlor of his nephew’s home as the maid takes his coat.  Scrooge hesitates for a brief moment to open the parlor door because he knows his cantankerous reputation precedes him.  It is then that the kindly maid persuades him to move forward by smiling and bobbing her head as she opens the door.  Ultimately, once inside Scrooge proceeds to ask forgiveness for his past failings and is accepted with open arms by his nephew and wife.

Then there is the song, Sarah Smile, by Hall and Oates. When I hear this song it takes me back to when I was in elementary school and life was much simpler.  If I remember correctly, I believe my friend’s parents liked Hall and Oates and I heard it a lot when I was over at his apartment.  Every time I hear it just makes me happy. It just makes me smile. 

We live in a time when there is so much to frown about it, that unfortunately we tend to focus on the wrong things. So, whether it takes a poster or a movie or a song, it is a good thing to smile. 

We should all speak the universal language of smiling- early, often and daily.

Swavel