Don’t lose your “Smile” – Capture it forever

“That person was a grouch” – Why what happened? “He had a grumpy look and barely smiled. He looked so stern, that I almost felt guilty for adorning a cheerful look. I too lost “My Smile”

Needless to say, we have to look at the Webster definition of a “Smile”- to assume a facial expression indicating pleasure, favor, or amusement, but sometimes derision or scorn, characterized by an upturning of the corners of the mouth.

A simple facial muscle exercised in a certain way- makes us smile. We wonder why it’s a herculean task to keep smiling. Grumpy lines form creases within a second, as our smile vanishes like Cinderella at midnight. Is this facial muscle movement so strenuous, that the crabby look comes back by default?

Also, let’s not forget the consortium of people, who forcibly pretend to maintain a “Smile Arc” zone. Inspite of angry emotions, we control the muscle coercively to design a “Smiley” look – Yet, everyone recognizes that the Smile is deceptive and fake. This imitation technique deployed is so skillfully deployed, hence rightfully earns the title “Plastic Smile”.

Similar to a pendulum, we oscillate between the artificial smile and the real smile, unable to capture the everlasting smile. Laughter is the best medicine, is a concept sold all across the board. We divert our focus to laughing therapy for our well- being. Alas! we have totally underestimated the value of an “eternal smile”.

As we probe deeper, questions arise. What is the origin of the ‘Smile?” Is it just physical in nature or are there more dimensions to this mystery? Numerous permutations arise in our mind, as one tries to decipher the “Smile Code”.

Social media smiley symbols are used all the time, but are we even smiling when we send them? On the contrary it’s a routine and mundane finger touch.

Our turbulent moods, volatile tempers and irrational stubborn behavior can literally hijack our smile. Does that mean we need to guard this muscle? What kind of security measures we need to add to our facial muscles to fortify this priceless treasure?

So how can we adorn an ever shining smile without it ever going astray and in this exploration we endeavor to make another human being smile? The effort can be as simple as speaking a kind word, expressing sincere thanks, giving a helping hand or creating positive vibes for that individual. This action allows us to touch the person’s heart and make them smile. The warmth extended by us warms our heart too. We experience a miracle, as we in turn, reflect their smile.

Let’s dig a bit deeper into this practice. If we are constantly thinking about our own happiness, we get caught in this rut of desires losing our ability to smile as we never seem to be happy with anything. We become goal oriented and self- centered.  But, when we direct our energies to create “smiley” situations for others, we experience an ever-lasting joy by our inner self. As it enables us to step out of our self-created bubble called “ME”. It’s an inverse ratio – the less we think about ourselves, the more we smile.

The more we make people smile, the longer the we retain our smile.

Once you jump start the chain of events of bringing a smile to as many people as you can the grooved, furrowed brow uncreases into a perpetual eternal smile. Now, our smile is emanating from a radiant Inner core, aligning the physical dimension to a deeper spiritual self.

Keep Smiling!