Smile

Smile though your heart is aching
Smile, even though it's breaking
When there are clouds, in the sky, you'll get by
If you smile, through your fear and sorrow
Smile, and there'll be tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shining through
If you'll....

Sung by Judy Garland.

For the past few days this song has been going around in my head.  Its a lovely reminder to Smile at someone today.  

Wikipedia's explanation of a Smile - A smile is a facial expression formed by flexing the muscles near both ends of the mouth.

So why do we smile ?

• We smile at funny things.
• We smile at babies and children.
• We smile when we recognise someone we know.
• We smile at the love in our life.
• We smile when we are happy.
• Sometimes we smile for no apparent reason.

What happens when we smile ?

• Smiling relaxes us and people we meet.
• Smiling helps to boost the immune system.
• Smiling releases endorphines in the brain, helping us feel good.
• Smiling helps to lower blood pressure. 
• Smiling helps to relive stress.

So the evidence shows that smiling is good for us.  Ask your angels to remind you to smile, use this beautiful Gift we have all received from God. 

Let's keep doing it, smile at someone today - they may smile back. 

I Wish !

'Don't wish your life away."  
I remember someone saying this to me when I was a child moaning on about long school days.  


Do we use the 'I Wish' phrase too much or not enough? 


I can only speak about what I experience and in my opinion its over used to the extent of being maxed out.  


One example is when we add it ourselves after receiving a compliment or thanks.  We turn a positive comment/compliment into a negative by adding 'I wish' or its partner 'If only'.  We should not do this because it belittles our talents and also those of the person who have offered us the comment/compliment.  
So don't add 'I wish' or 'if only', when someone says something nice about what you've done or achieved.  Thank them graciously and accept it in the spirit it was given.  


Another example is where we actively 'wish' away for something.  We dream of a fruitful reward to our wishing like winning the lottery, or meeting a tall dark stranger, having a luxurious holiday etc.  These may seem like nothing more than fantasies and dreams.  


I'm not saying we should stop dreaming, if mankind never dreamed we would not have achieved many of the great things we now take for granted today.  We dare to dream and it propels us forward, we turn our dreams into a reality.  


But many people can get stuck in the 'I wish' phase.  They never get off the ground and begin to turn their dreams into a reality.  Instead they sit and wait for another to come and show, tell or instruct them on how to move forward.  While all the time they have the answers and ability but no drive to do it.  


When my Grandparents were born (1890-1907) it was a far different world.  I never recall hearing them using the phrase 'I wish'.  They had a more down to earth attitude.  They grew up with an expectation that if they needed food they had to provide it, so hard work was the norm.  There didn't have the range of shops, choices and luxuries we have today.  They had what they had because they worked hard for it.  They knew the difference between right and wrong and lived their lives by what we today would possibly call a simple code.  


So where did the 'I wish' come from and why is it so prevalent in our society?  The evidence is all around us.  Pick up any tabloid newspaper, there are the wannabe's trying to sell some crass story to further themselves or some 'z list celebrity' trying to flog a book they haven't even written.  We have teenagers appearing on saturday night shows trying to grasp that golden key to stardom, all wishing hard to live the dream.  


But why?  Is normal life so dull and uninteresting.  No, because they have been sold a dream - a dream where if they wish hard enough (no other effort required) they'll get it.  Education is not a requirement, but fake looks and bodies is all that is needed with a willingness to be told what to do and when.  


We have allowed ourselves to be blinded so that we all want the 'I wish' to come true.  Check sales of lottery tickets for proof of this.  We have allowed our governments to lead us by the nose, TV channels and bosses to tell us what we should be watching and allowed ourselves to sit by and watch it all happen.  


Many countries now find themselves in recession due to the financial crisis and its aftermath. But what are people doing about it?  Nothing!  Youths who have never had a job still hang around waiting for their 'big moment' expecting someone to hand it to them.  We have whole areas in cities where the unemployment is almost 100% and what are people doing - nothing.  


Now is the time to get up and going.  Get your life back.  Stop wishing for someone to tell you if you're going to get a new job, change your career, find a husband, have children, visit another country etc.  
Take responsibility for your own life.  What are you doing to answer these questions for yourself?  Go plant some vegetables, meet your neighbours set up a bartering group, volunteer to gain skills, there are plenty of opportunities out there see them for yourself.   


You have chosen to live here and now.  Stop believing the rubbish you see on TV, and read in the papers.  Live your life your way by following your own integrity and you will see the rewards.