#21 Smiled More

When I started thinking about writing this post, all I had was a vague idea of what I was going to write so I took to Google to help me figure out the rest. I typed in the URL to the ever-popular search engine (and I'm constantly amazed by the simplicity and power of it, by the way) and, of course, was instantly presented with millions of results for my search query: smile more. I got everything you could possibly get on smiling. Smile how-to guides - which I'll admit puzzled me because who doesn't know how to smile? You curl your lips up in an expression of happiness. Sounds pretty simple, right? Smile challenges - smile when you see someone else smiling, smile when you hear laughter, etc. Smile fact sheets - it actually is easier to smile than to frown; people don't just say that. Everything. But as I was reading all this information about smiling, the thing I couldn't get off my mind was the fact that the smile isn't the important part. After all, a smile is merely an outward expression of happiness. Key word: outward. What really matters is what's on the inside (biggest cliche ever, I know). When I saw all of these websites, I realized that the important part is finding something to make you smile. It's not easy to smile when there's nothing in your life to smile about. You really want to smile more? Think about the things that make you happy. Give yourself a reason to smile. I have plenty of reasons to be happy. I'm happy that I'm going to a good school in the fall with some of my best friends. I'm happy that I'm a part of two great families. I'm happy that my friends accept me for the weirdo I am. I'm happy that I have all the opportunities I do. I'm happy that my dog still shakes hands (paws?) with me even though I make him do it all the time. My message today is simple. Smile. Because we really do have so many reasons to smile. We were created to be happy beings. Show your happiness. Smile. Make someone else smile. Pass it on. :)