Thought for today:
"Whoever you are, whatever misfortunes befall you in life, you will always succeed as long as you can bring happiness into your day. To do that requires something so simple to do that its immediate effect to self and others far outweigh any other treasure you have to bestow. Never underestimate the importance of a smile in your day. It does you the power of good and makes so many others who meet you feel good also.
A smile is the most disarming of weapons in one's armoury whenever signs of trouble are looming. A smile is always the beginning of love; it a friend maker, an icebreaker between strangers and a waker of the mind to more positive things. My mother always had a smile on her face, however onerous a task she was about and when I asked her why she was smiling doing hard and tedious housework she would reply, 'Billy, you smile with your heart and not your mouth. I'm just happy, son'. She would also indicate that nothing we wear ever looks more attractive or as fetching as a smile. Indeed, Chinese custom tells us that each smile makes one look a day younger and always works as it also makes the observer feel a day younger also. So, whenever you happen to see someone without a smile, give them one of yours!
I once knew a woman who would warmly smile in remembrance at funeral occasions, when often the rest of the congregation was either crying, close to tears or lost in feelings of sadness. She preferred to smile because she knew the deceased when he happily lived, instead of crying because he'd died. Young women concerned about looking their best for the boys should never forget that however attractive they are, nought but a smile will ever add more to their beauty.
As a former Relaxation Trainer and Stress Management consultant for half my life, I used to tell anxious group members to start disarming all anxiety levels with a smile, as smiling effectively resets one's mood. Just as it is impossible to continue being angry if one repeats, 'Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles, etc!', so smiling make the presence of continued anxiety impossible. Smiling is free therapy.
Smiling is also the most infectious of human actions. A mum and dad who teach their children to laugh out loud teach them the best lesson of all, and the more often a smile arrives on one's face the less likely it is ever to depart it; the more likely it will decide to live there. If you don't believe me, let me introduce you to my Facebook friend, Heather Bates, who hasn't stopped smiling since the age of 4 years old and her happiness is still as infectious today as it ever was (as seen in the black and white photograph) with her mother, brother and sister at Ogden Water.
Many people chose to hide behind a cloud of doubt and uncertainty instead of a smile. Smiling is known to make a hurt person feel better sooner than they otherwise would have. If ever you lose your smile, don't despair, as you can find it hiding just beneath your nose. Never forget that just one smile between strangers can make the earth turn more smoothly on its axis of love.
I would also like to tell you about a man who came across a distressed woman on a London Bridge one autumn evening. The woman looked as though she was contemplating jumping in and killing herself and was working her mind up to the final moment when she would throw her body over. At the crucial moment, before she leapt, she heard the footsteps of someone approaching and turned to see a man nearby. She expected him to try to deter her from taking her own life by talking and appealing to her not to jump. Instead, of saying anything, the man just smiled and walked on by. Dumbfounded by the unexpectedness of his response the woman decided, 'Not today' as she wryly smiled to herself and walked away from the bridge.
Of course, this story isn't true to the best of my knowledge as I've this minute made it up; just to demonstrate that smiling is capable of saving lives as well as changing them for the better. Love and peace." William Forde: August 19th, 2018.
"Whoever you are, whatever misfortunes befall you in life, you will always succeed as long as you can bring happiness into your day. To do that requires something so simple to do that its immediate effect to self and others far outweigh any other treasure you have to bestow. Never underestimate the importance of a smile in your day. It does you the power of good and makes so many others who meet you feel good also.
A smile is the most disarming of weapons in one's armoury whenever signs of trouble are looming. A smile is always the beginning of love; it a friend maker, an icebreaker between strangers and a waker of the mind to more positive things. My mother always had a smile on her face, however onerous a task she was about and when I asked her why she was smiling doing hard and tedious housework she would reply, 'Billy, you smile with your heart and not your mouth. I'm just happy, son'. She would also indicate that nothing we wear ever looks more attractive or as fetching as a smile. Indeed, Chinese custom tells us that each smile makes one look a day younger and always works as it also makes the observer feel a day younger also. So, whenever you happen to see someone without a smile, give them one of yours!
I once knew a woman who would warmly smile in remembrance at funeral occasions, when often the rest of the congregation was either crying, close to tears or lost in feelings of sadness. She preferred to smile because she knew the deceased when he happily lived, instead of crying because he'd died. Young women concerned about looking their best for the boys should never forget that however attractive they are, nought but a smile will ever add more to their beauty.
As a former Relaxation Trainer and Stress Management consultant for half my life, I used to tell anxious group members to start disarming all anxiety levels with a smile, as smiling effectively resets one's mood. Just as it is impossible to continue being angry if one repeats, 'Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles, etc!', so smiling make the presence of continued anxiety impossible. Smiling is free therapy.
Smiling is also the most infectious of human actions. A mum and dad who teach their children to laugh out loud teach them the best lesson of all, and the more often a smile arrives on one's face the less likely it is ever to depart it; the more likely it will decide to live there. If you don't believe me, let me introduce you to my Facebook friend, Heather Bates, who hasn't stopped smiling since the age of 4 years old and her happiness is still as infectious today as it ever was (as seen in the black and white photograph) with her mother, brother and sister at Ogden Water.
Many people chose to hide behind a cloud of doubt and uncertainty instead of a smile. Smiling is known to make a hurt person feel better sooner than they otherwise would have. If ever you lose your smile, don't despair, as you can find it hiding just beneath your nose. Never forget that just one smile between strangers can make the earth turn more smoothly on its axis of love.
I would also like to tell you about a man who came across a distressed woman on a London Bridge one autumn evening. The woman looked as though she was contemplating jumping in and killing herself and was working her mind up to the final moment when she would throw her body over. At the crucial moment, before she leapt, she heard the footsteps of someone approaching and turned to see a man nearby. She expected him to try to deter her from taking her own life by talking and appealing to her not to jump. Instead, of saying anything, the man just smiled and walked on by. Dumbfounded by the unexpectedness of his response the woman decided, 'Not today' as she wryly smiled to herself and walked away from the bridge.
Of course, this story isn't true to the best of my knowledge as I've this minute made it up; just to demonstrate that smiling is capable of saving lives as well as changing them for the better. Love and peace." William Forde: August 19th, 2018.
