“It’s the way my face looks.”
My Mom would say that to me while I was growing up whenever she would be ironing, reading, cooking, or doing something other than paying immediate attention to me.
The expression on someone’s face is a great way to learn something about you. When you glance over to someone at work you might see the lines in between their eyebrows pressed up that it looks like toothpicks. Or, if you roll over and see the person you love lying next to you, they might look glazed over, peaceful, with the creased reflection of the pillows or the sheets they’ve been sleeping on.
“It’s the way my face looks.”
Sometimes, the look can appear to be dismissive, puzzled, or concerned.
“What’s wrong,” we ask.
“Nothing,” they say.
Then, sometimes, “It’s the way my face looks.”
I’m not good at this, I’ll admit it, I struggle to smile. Yet, I’ll admit it is also one of the best feelings in the world. It immediately sends blood rushing up to my face, increasing my energy, and my mood. It’s a gift I can give someone else, and give myself. It’s also free.
The lesson is to smile more. Then, maybe the next time you look at someone’s face, they’ll be smiling back at you.
Are you smiling?
When I feel grouchy... I'll sometimes force myself to smile and then it's really hard to be mad.
ReplyDeleteI remember one time when I was babysitting my niece (she was 4ish at the time), she was crying and mad about something. I told her " look up and smile. It's impossible to cry if you're looking at the sky and smiling really big". The next thing we know... we're both cracking up and she'd had forgotten all about being sad.
So, I obviously made up this "rule" about the sky and smiling :), but she didn't know or care. Now, every time she's sad I say "look up and smile." We should all do this more often.