A Smile... of Happiness

Smile!!!

<-- This guy does it correctly

 

 ^

Emo Hitler does it wrong

 He just needs to turn it upside down--->

So you might be 

WONDERING 

why...               I have so much about smiles... 

well.... [can you tell I like girls ellipses?] I have to tell you something. The other day I realized [or rather I was told]

that I have an amazing smile.

It's not one of those things you usually see in yourself === I certainly HOPE not === but such has been said too many times very recently and over time that I'm beginning to believe it. I mean it's really one of the things  that people comment most on to me. "Wow Bourne! You're always smiling!" "Don't you ever stop smiling!?!?"

And I also try very hard to make sure everyone around me has a good reason to smile. A smile from me (they're infectious), a joke, or I'll even do something absurd and totally outrageous. [band anyone?]

Let me be Frank. Actually... I'd rather just be myself.

 Poor pun aside (and a bit above)

I'm not really all that proud of my body.

MONGO CONFESSION SECTION!!!

My body is nice and strong and such... but it's... hard to explain. The only part of it I'm somewhat proud of

IS

MY LEGS!!!!

 

Isn't that beautiful? Alright alright. It's an old tacky picture but I like it. 

 Now back to the main topic of this post. My smile. The most recent example of the power of my own smile goes back to a day earlier this week. I was hanging out in the mall with some friends. Two girls walked into the store (Pac Sun or whatever) and they were cute. My friends (two of which were on shift at the store) saw me look and dared me to flirt with them. Naturally, me being the bashful guy I am, just smiled and blushed and looked away. Then I felt the eyes upon me. I looked up and made eye contact and I guess I smiled. I continued talking with my friends and awkwardly not making eye contact with either of those girls. But I would casually look over and everytime I did that they happened to look over at me. 

Right after they left, a girl friend I was with (notice the space?) started going crazy. She was amazed that somehow I had managed to flirt with the girls without even going over and talking to them.

This really started me thinking... what is a smile? What does it do? 

“Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” --Mother Teresa of Calcutta

I then realized that I smile, not only for me, but for others. I smile nonstop when people see me, because I'm always enjoying the presence of others. 

I LOVE being with and around people.

And that makes me happy inside. “Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” --  Thich Nhat Hanh quotes (Vietnamese Monk, Activist and Writer

  And I also have learned that throughout my life, I've always tried to make others around me smile and feel some happiness. Why? I know not. Probably because everybody looks good with a smile on their face :D

Then there are times where I remember how great it is to have something to smile about. I look back at my Freshman year. Before I moved to Timpview, I lived in a middle of nowhere town and had tons of awesome friends that I could go hang out with and do anything at anytime. Life was amazing.

Then I moved.

I had been uprooted and now lived in a place that always had noise and thousands of people.  I went to a school where I wouldn't be able to know everybody's name (though I sure tried over the years) just through sheer dint of numbers.  

Being as it was January, everyone knew everyone and was totally comfortable. I wasn't. Coming from a small, middle of nowhere town was rather hard for me. The Commons were a constant struggle just because I did not want to be rude at all and perchance offend somebody (don't worry I got over that worry). And to make matters more difficult, I had that issue almost every person that moves in to a new place has.  

Making new friends was hard. 

 It took me about two months to really make a few friends (Thank you band) that I would hang out with at school. Before that point I went to classes, felt embarrassed I knew the answer to every question {small classes move through material faster than big classes}, ate lunch ALONE in the cafeteria, then watched the chess club play chess. After which I'd go back to sitting in the corner in class.

What does any of this have to do with me smiling? It made me appreciate the power of a smile. People say that a smile can really make a person's day. Fact is, the saying is true. I made it a specific goal in my life to help others smile. What has it gotten me? Well it has turned my smile.... 

 into a...

 Smile    of     HAPPINESS

 

 

SUCCESS!! ^.*