Smile On, Friends!

I believe in the magic of a smile.

Try not to smile when a baby smiles or laughs. It’s impossible. That smiling impish face emanates pure joy and love as though rays of sunshine are exploding from their very essence. And like magic, it spreads. Smiling is contagious. It sends out ripples. I tested the theory. I asked my kids to look at this picture, no other instructions, and sure enough those little faces turned up into the most glorious smiles. Science folks. Can’t argue it.

A smile can connect two strangers even for a brief instant. It says, “I see you”, “You matter”.  Unlike hugs, a shared smile does not cross the line of touch. For while I also believe in the power of hugs, they involve intimacy and touch that many are not open to recieving. Especially not from a random stranger. A smile, on the other hand, can be thrown from far away. You lock eyes, the corners of your mouth turn up and BAM! It’s out there like a freight train of sunshine, smacking the other person right in the face. And then the energy, the frequency of that interaction, changes the vibration of the other person. And guess what? They are likely to take that smile like a game of hot potato, and pass it on to the next stranger. I can see Oprah in my mind, arms raised, face radiating pure joy yelling, “You get a smile! You get a smile! You all get a smile!”

Let’s be real for a moment. Smiling isn’t always easy. We all have bad days. Myself included. My dad is in the hospital again. My son had 2 seizures yesterday, one while he was on the ice, skating. Momma-bear protective instincts are to bare the claws and the teeth, not to smile. The day kicked me in the gut. There were lots of tears.

But the smiles, they were necessary. I needed them. I plastered one on my face like a mask before walking into my dad’s hospital room. I smiled. I smiled as if my life and his life depended on it. And guess what? For that moment you could feel a shift in this room. The sun seemed to come in brighter through the blinds and the life came back to my dad’s eyes. It was a glimmer but I saw it. He even smiled back.

And then I got home and smiled my biggest smile at my son who had 2 seizures, and at my younger son who helped his big brother during his seizures. A little brother shouldn’t have to protect his bigger brother. It defies the birth order yet this amazing act of love brings a true smile to my face. My smile made for more smiles on their beautiful sunshiny faces. My heart healed a bit more. And then, even though through tears, I could see my hubby’s smile, my rock during this challenging time. And even with my leaking eyes his smile smacked me in the face and I could crack a smile too.

Breathe in breath out. Smile. My son shares with me later in the day that it’s crummy to have seizures. We flip it around. I remind him that he is pretty phenomenal because while he does have seizures, he also can from time to time, stare one down and stop it. I tell him to focus on this. Even the specialists at the hospital comment that this is remarkable. He smiles. I smile. The vibration changes. Later as we are painting, in the moment of enjoying the humming and splashing of the paints and water, it comes on. Another seizure about to hit. We stop. We breathe. We visualize together and he STOPS it. The smile is huge. I am certain the shift in energy from our talk earlier on, and the energy from smiling at the power of it was responsible for this victory. So, call me optimistic but I believe in the transformational magic of a smile.

I came across this quote from Yoko Ono and it sung to my heart. “Smile in the mirror. Do that every morning and you’ll start to see a big difference in your life.”  How beautiful that I can also gift myself with that which I freely give out to the world? I did it this morning. And while my face at first looked pale and tired, that smile was like kindling catching a spark. My whole face changed. My energy shifted. It was lighter. And best of all it felt good.

So what am I manifesting this week? I am manifesting magic. I am manifesting good outcomes, good days filled with things to be grateful for. And how will I do that? By smiling. Like a Care Bear stare beaming my smile at myself in the mirror and at all those I cross, whether in the office, in my home, in the hospital or even in the grocery line. I will send smiles out as if my life depends on it; and in a way it does. Many of the wise sages have taught that the world is a reflection of our thoughts. If my thoughts are focused on smiling, the world must energetically obey and smile back at me. I am smiling in sweet anticipation of the potential of the week ahead. I leave you then with this one last, and beautiful quote:

“Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful” – Thich Nhat Hanh

Smile on friends, spread that beautiful sunshine!

Written by: Melanie Groves; Metamorphosis Healing