Always Smiling

In the Tree House: Always Smiling

By: Samantha S. Daviss

We all have really bad days, sometimes it’s due to life occurrences, sometimes it’s hormones, and I tend to blame the moon a lot. But for the most part, I tend to be a pretty happy, jovial person; at least I try to be.

However, there are those people in life that just make you smile and feel all warm inside when you are merely in their presence. As they enter the room you can feel the entire space fill with happiness, gratitude for life, and just the mere thought of breathing in and out that day.

Their attitude oozes joy and contentment. My family and I went out to dinner the other night and we were greeted by such an individual. This person is always saying hello, hugging you, and complimenting the person he is engaged with in conversation. When in fact he should be the one being complimented, for his iconic status in Corsicana, his lifetime dedication to his career, and his devotion to his beautiful wife he lost not too long ago. Their friendship and marriage was one we can all only hope to emulate one day. You never feel like a stranger when you are around this person, and there is no social division or separation when you are around him. He always welcomes every person the same…with open arms.*

They say that it takes twice as many facial muscles to frown as it does to smile; so why don’t we all practice that theory a little bit more each and every day, I wonder? After all a smile is contagious, and it’s something I’d like to catch each and every day…and if you think about it, it truly is contagious. When you see another person laughing, or smiling, doesn’t it always make you a little happier, and remind you that smiling and laughing truly is the best medicine?

To quote one of my favorite lines, from one of my favorite actresses (that also represents my smiling theory), from one of my favorite movies…

           

“Smile, it increases your face value!”

This line was presented so eloquently with her “molasses thick” southern drawl…the incomparable Ms. Dolly Parton, from the movie “Steel Magnolias”.

She is another well thought-of happy person. I realize everyone can be a different person behind closed doors, but to just watch her on the big screen or during television interviews…she is the kind of gal I would love to go have a mint julep with on my front porch and just laugh and giggle until my face hurt. She always seems to find the positive in everything she does in life, or every flaw she may have…she manages to turn it into something encouraging for herself and the world to learn from each and every day. And if you can’t learn from it, then learn to laugh at it…if you can’t laugh at yourself, then what can you laugh at, right?

I think when we surround ourselves by certain personalities we all tend to become “chameleons” to that personality or environment. If we are around negativity we tend to pick up on that, but if we surround ourselves with only positive thoughts, words and actions I think the world and society as a whole would be a lot happier.

From my life experiences, travel, and just day to day operations, I have noticed that all of these gadgets, technology, and “smart” thingies are not helping us, but aggravating us. It seems that since our world has complicated itself with speed and convenience, we tend to have less patience for the things we want out of life.

Sometimes it is nice to remove all those complex devices and just resort back to the “old fashioned” way of living life…simplified. And that is what I have discovered with truly happy people, that haven’t succumbed to the “new age” way of existing, they are just living life the way they have always lived life…simply, happily, and day to day with a huge smile on their face.

Every day you get out of bed be grateful you are able to do so…and clap your hands and say “World I’m ready…let’s do this” instead of “Awe man, I really don’t want to get up today”. There is always someone or something that is happy you are here another day, so make the most out of everything you are given, and learn to turn your frown upside down. I promise ... it’s contagious.

I recently took a mother/daughter trip with my mom up north, and it was fantastic. We went to Chicago, and I had never been to such a friendly place, especially in the North. You expect people to be friendly and reverently chatty in the South, but not the North. So again, their enjoyment for life, their beautiful city, and just what they have been given was absolutely contagious. Happiness comes in all different shapes, forms, and varieties…it can be a smile, a nod of acknowledgement, a quick hello, or a meaningless conversation with a total stranger.

Try it sometime; you’ll be amazed at how receptive people can be in the world. Sometimes they just need to be brought out of their shell, and (as I call it) back into the three dimensional world.

*I try hard not to focus on one individual for my columns, but the person I spoke of in this column is a true bastion of Corsicana and has been for decades, so I thought Mr. Johnny Crawford deserved the accolades he deserves for his positive attitude and huge smile he offers the people of the world every single day. Love you Johnny!!