Smile More

A man walked by a table in a hotel and noticed three men and a dog playing cards. The dog appeared to be winning. "That must be a very smart dog," the man commented. "He ain't so smart," said one of the players. "Every time he gets a good hand he wags his tail!"

I wathched "The Bucket List" last night and realized a few things about people in general but more importantly about myself. I don't smile enough. I feel like I smile as much as anyone and I try to make people around me smile but it still is not enough. We let the things of this world get us down too much. So things don't go our way! There are worse tragedies in life! We need to spend more time in the postive realm. The negative realm is a dark chasm that you scratch and claw through just to try to get out of. Some of you are probably wondering what I'm talking about. Have ever got into a negative discussion about something or someone? You know the word, "gossip." Now think how quick or long the conversation was. It lasts forever. You are having fun at someone else's expense. Think about a typical day for you. Do you spend more time in positive conversations or negative conversations? We don't smile enough. God even knew this when he created the human body. I remember an old poster on the wall in my biology class which stated that it took 33 muscles to frown and only 13 to smile. If you're not smiling, you're working too hard, and we usually complain about working too hard. We rob our life of so much joy by focusing on the negative. Here's a thought. Try speaking to someone today and only talk about positive things. When faced with a negative thought turn it around and find the positive side. For many people this will be a challenge. You have to do two things every day (this, too, from the Bucket List). First, you have to experience joy. Second, you have to bring joy into someone else's life. There's a Chinese proverb that says, "One joy shatters a hundred griefs." If you're having a bad day, find something positive to smile about. When you find it, share it with someone. They're probably needing it too.