As an avid smiler, I often get the questions "Why are you always so happy?", "Have you ever actually been angry?", and, my favorite, "Can you even frown?". This last query ends with me being forced to hold a grimace until I simply can't hide my pearly whites any longer. I just can't help smiling, it's part of who I am! And while I can't explain why I have such a cheerful disposition, I can share with you, dear readers, some of the little everyday things that make me grin. Hopefully they will brighten your day as well, and allow you to become happier, smilier people in the long run.1) Search for a smile in unexpected places
One of my favorite twitter accounts is called Faces in Things (@FacesPics). In each of their tweets, they feature a picture of a random object and find a face in it. I have done this my whole life, and every time I see a doorknob, car, or coffee stain smiling at me, I can't help but smile right back.
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| Some of my favorite pictures from @FacesPics |
In this season of gloomy, chilly weather, sometimes it's hard to find something to be happy about when you're outside. My favorite thing to do when this happens is to find the nearest crunchy leaf and stamp on it as I walk to class. There are few more satisfying sounds than this crinkly noise, and I can often be spotted taking a zig zagging path along a sidewalk just to hunt out the most promising leaves.
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| Look at that leaf! It has the perfect curl and color to be a first-rate crunching leaf! https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBx0Vdx_rNl7EMQzJswh6gpVud2Ens6qbyWF_55Fj0_isvaOy4BePn1CYBRnXQx6FLZMrAWGlLuHQuTmKzDK6RpsMqCpqqJqBKxzA_dIYDVDG2fzN7aq9ScJ6rZ0QKcwd1zAtIM6ohRM/s1600/crunchy+leaf.jpg |
So maybe you had a bad day, and all you want is a cupcake to cheer you up (a bad idea if you read my previous post, but we all have our guilty pleasures). However, who wants to clean up the mess of baking, and, more importantly, who has an oven in their dorm room? You can get around these obstacles if you have my favorite cookbook, Mug Cakes: 100 speedy microwave treats to satisfy your sweet tooth. That's right, you can make cupcakes in your microwave! While I have only done this once or twice, just looking at all the cute little recipes never fails to make me smile.
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| http://www.catchingfireflies.com/products/mug-cakes-cookbook.html |
4) Let your feet have some fun
Another way to turn a frown upside-down is to add some joy to the place where you end up looking when you are feeling down: your feet! How do you do such a thing, you may ask? Why, only by wearing the quirkiest, zaniest, awesomest socks you can find! They don't even have to match if you really want to go the extra mile. Trust me, not only will fun socks make you smile, but everyone around you is sure to get a kick out of them too.
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| Just a few favorites from my extensive collection |
This could mean intentionally, if you are gifted in the way of comedy, or unintentionally, if you are sort of an awkward, unfiltered person like me. And if it is unintentional, don't be afraid to laugh at yourself! No one laughs at my jokes nearly as much as I do, and I don't laugh at anyone else's jokes as much as mine. Just think of yourself as the funniest person you know, and you'll never be able to get that smile off your face.
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| http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/71/94/87/719487ba853328be4b44ec204e2493fb.jpg |
6) Have some awesome friends
Seriously though, while laughing at your own jokes is great, it's even better when you have some other people to laugh with you. Well, maybe they won't laugh, but you still know that they love you even when they are shaking their heads exasperatedly and leaving you at the table by yourself to go refill their drink. Which was already half full when they left. Oh wait...
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| I've made a lot of friends since coming to Augie, but the best have been my fellow freshman swimmers. |
7) Spread the love
Finally, the best way I know to make yourself smile is to make someone else smile too. Make someone a mug cake, tell them they look ravishing in those knee-high whale socks, laugh at their jokes; it's easy to make someone's day a little brighter. It's just like that old saying, "Giving is better than receiving". So go out there and make the world a happier, smilier place to be!
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| http://www.eco-generation.org/ambassadorReportView.jsp?viewID=1536 |
I really love how you approach this concept because, true to your clearly positive nature, you are extremely non-confrontational about things that may potentially make people happy. You made it very personal, which can be both effective and dangerous. Interaction over the internet, as we have discussed in class, can become volatile and confrontational at the drop of a hat, even regarding the effectiveness of harmless things in bringing little joys to people. By explicitly stating that these are things that personally make you happy, you leave little chance for people to become argumentative or tell you you're wrong. You also managed to tie everything into one more universal smile-causer that has widespread implications for both the person and those around them. That seems to give the lifehack cogency.
ReplyDeleteThis literally made my day. It meant so much to me personally as my dad is the kind of person who tells about a hundred jokes per minute. Now, my sister and I often get annoyed with the constant puns, but we give my dad a little "haha" to keep his spirits up. After reading this, I now realize why we give in to his jokes even when they're not at all funny. My dad is a very similar person... he lives to smile.. and we know that. You helped me realize that just as your smiling gets you through tough days, it gets my dad through his time with my sister and I. My parents are divorced and he wants to spend the little time he has with us smiling, not letting out his sadness that comes with being lonely. This post let me look at this key part in my life more critically, Thank you!
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ReplyDeleteFrom Becca: I too am often asked, “Have you ever even been angry before?” That question drives me crazy because I find nothing wrong with being optimistic and showing it! Your blog calls the reader to consider just how much he/she smiles each day. It is so easy to smile; in fact, studies show it takes more muscles to frown than to smile. Your blog begs the question, “Why would you even want to frown?” With so much brightness in all the little things that surround our lives, it seems as though there is no room to frown. The hack I found most intriguing was the one suggesting to “spread the love.” Spreading the love is something anyone can easily do. Complimenting people or occasionally reminding them of how much they mean to you is an easy task that can bring joy to both the giver and receiver. I appreciate your insight and am already looking for joy in the small things surrounding me.
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