happy-feature

We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do. – Mother Teresa

“Everyone makes me happy,” I said. “Some when they arrive – others when they leave.” That was before Mike taught me the magic answer.

Mike was in the small group who only made me happy when he left my office. He could be my worst nightmare. He got under my skin faster than anyone, but he was our largest client.

I watched him with others and saw the same thing. He would just needle, needle, and then needle some more.

His favorite was to suggest that, “If you’re happy, you should tell your face.” Then he would roar laughing, as he walked away.

The next time he said, “If you’re happy, tell your face,” he gave me the magic answer. All I needed to do was smile and he went away. Mike was what my mother called, “a goat getter.” If he couldn’t get your goat, he moved on.

A smile has more value than just chasing away the “goat getters” in the world. A smile let’s the world see who you are, what you care about and how important you think the other person is.

My children. Two of my favorite smiles.
My children. Two of my favorite smiles.

Maybe the simple children’s song is all I need to remember. “If you’re happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it.” We all know that tune, right?

Does your yogi tell you to soften your face? What do you think they are saying? Is there a deeper value in softening your face? If so, can you explain the value?

Where do smiles come from? Are they just quickly plastered on, or do they come from way down inside a person’s heart?

Do you think your face is built over time, as you age? What does that mean to you?

As always, the conversation starts here.

“In the ordinary choices of every day we begin to change the direction of our lives.” – Eknath Easwaran

Epilogue

Watch this video, complete to the end. Then think about the full impact of a smile. Yes, it travels far – way out into the universe – but then we come back to realize how deep within ourselves the smile began. How much of the universe was changed along the journey?

Mother Teresa’s words are true, “We shall never know all the good …”