March 30, 2017
Smiling is the ultimate source of positive energy and is associated with kindness and happiness. When we smile, it’s not always a reflection of what we feel inside. Sometimes we’re deliberately manipulating our outside, as a way to control how we appear to others. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course. We all want to be polite and respectful, and sometimes the only way to do that is to pretend. But that kind of smile isn’t what we’re talking about here.
A genuine smile is involuntary. It is a reflection of a beautiful feeling that is so powerful it sends signals to the muscles in your face, pulling the corners of your lips upwards. Many things can cause this to happen. Here’s a list of 20 things that make us smile. We’re sure many of you can relate.
- Arriving home and actually seeing your room organized
In the morning rush we often leave behind a serious mess. That lost earring or book you desperately needed today and tore frantically through everything to find it. Or, tossing and turning all night and the bed shows it.
Then there are those rare days when we actually have the time and the inclination to give the room some TLC. Make the bed, hang the towel on the towel rack, wash the breakfast dishes. Put everything back in order.
On such days, when you get home, exhausted and starving, there is room for a huge grin, grateful there is no cleaning up before you settle in. Just comfortably relax in a place we can be proud of.
- A call or text from a loved one
We all have busy lives, and sometimes it’s hard to make time for the people we care about most. It’s always nice to reconnect with the people we love and who love us back. Seeing their name on Caller ID never fails to make us smile.
- Helping people
People believe customer service agents are always ‘fake’ and insecure. Since we’re in that business somewhat, we must admit that it sometimes true. It could be just a bad day or the boss just yelled or we just heard some bad news or we’re plain old tired. Our job is to always be pleasant and in a good mood, but that is difficult to do all day every day.
Still, when we actually are able to help someone in some small way it is always satisfying, and a good reason to smile.
- Being thanked for something that we did
Sometimes people are so worried or stressed that they forget to be grateful for the little things. When someone thanks us for holding a door or some other small gesture, it always makes us smile.
- A movie with a happy ending
Keep in mind that smiling and crying aren’t necessarily incompatible. In that little movie called The Notebook, seeing Allie and Noah end up together after years apart (when both thought the other had moved on) triggers tears of true happiness, and we always walk away from that movie smiling through the tears.
- Finally getting a good grade after starting off with a D
There’s always that one class where no matter how hard you try you keep getting bad grades. You study for hours before every test, you check and recheck every assignment. You do your best. But you keep getting bad grades. Then, one day, all that hard work comes together, and your teacher finally hands you an A+. That moment, the pride we feel when I see hard work paying off always brings a smile.
- Seeing friends from high school.
A few months a go, we got in a taxi and, lo and behold, the fellow passenger was a friend from high school that we thought had migrated. The look on his face immediately reminded us of the great times in high school and brought the widest smile we had all day.
- Seeing other people smiling or laughing
Hearing someone laugh or seeing someone smile makes us smile. too. Happiness is contagious, and people are always drawn to it.
- Falling asleep next to someone you love
Whether this person is a sibling, our best friend or our partner, it never fails to draw a smile the moment right before you fall asleep.
- When you just got your hair done
Getting our hair done and absolutely loving the final product really puts us in a good mood. Some people don’t understand, but it always brings a big smile to our face.
- Hot Showers
When you get into the shower and the water hitting your skin is so hot that you fear it may cause blisters, but you’re enjoying how relaxing it is and it makes you smile.
- Forehead kisses
Being kissed on the forehead is the single sweetest thing. It never fails to make us feel loved and supported. Good reason to smile.
- A long meaningful hug
Sometimes you just need the oxytocin (the cuddle hormone) to get on with the day. And that hug gives you such a lift you have to smile.
- Eight hours of undisturbed, guilt-free sleep
Going to bed on a Friday night and waking up midday on Saturday, with nothing to do and nowhere you need to be, is awesome. When we remember there is nothing to do except relax, we smile and drift back into a peaceful slumber.
- Pizza
Who knows, the recipe for pizza may have been hand delivered to us by an angel of God. Ok, maybe we don’t quite believe that. But certainly the idea of pizza was divinely inspired. How else do you explain how a boring, flat piece of dough topped with boring tomatoes and cheese looks and smells and tastes so very delicious? Just smile!
- When the characters in a movie or book take your advice
Yes, Jane the Virgin chose Michael. It only took several months telling her that Michael is the one. The point is, she finally chose him, and now we feel like we need to go ahead and get a psychology degree because this is obviously our field.
- Family and social gatherings
Seeing the people we love coming together to make memories and laugh and, of course, eat good food makes for many genuine Kodak/digital moments.
- Getting more than a 100 likes on a Facebook photo
After all your hard work (finding the perfect lighting and the perfect filter, getting the composition just right, and standing in that awkward position) … Baby girl, you earned it!
- Finding money you forgot about
Sometimes the day before payday you’ve forgotten what money even looks like. Then you put your hand in your pocket and you feel this crumpled paper. Your eyes go wide as you withdraw your hand and you see it. You just have to smile and say, “God if I ever doubted you, please forgive me.”
- The first bite of a chocolate bar
Chocolate...read it again…chocolate. The word alone probably brings a smile to your face, so imagine what the first taste of it does, every single time.