The Wonders of a Smile

I wrote the following essay for my English 2010 class, I wanted to share it with everyone:

"We all know her or sometimes him. The girl or boy that everyone loves, who can brighten anyone’s day. They never cry; they never appear hurt or sad in anyway. Simply put, they are good at smiling. Can I tell you a secret though, they weren’t always happy. Don’t get me wrong, there are days where they didn’t have a care in the world, but most of the time the smiles are because it is all they can do to keep from falling apart. No one’s life is perfect, including theirs, but he or she doesn't let it stop them. To them, their problems are personal and they don’t need to burden others with them. Instead he or she has decided to try to relieve others of their burdens and troubles. When they ask questions such as “how are you?” they really care. Somewhere in all of this caring and being concerned for others, he or she found that all of their concerns were lessened.

"How do I know all of this? I am that person. Well to me I’m not. I do my fair share of crying and have had more than enough bad days. I don’t always feel happy, and I rarely feel like people go out of their way just to say hi to me. That person is in my life, but I don’t feel like I can fill her shoes. Throughout high school that girl, in my case that person was female, and many others thanked me for my positive attitude and constant smile, traits I don’t remember possessing. I do remember trying to be happy, and I do remember listening as others vented to me about their bad days. I remember my smile sometimes making me happier, but I remember the smiles of others helping as well. Somewhere along the line however, I became that girl-- the one that people gravitated to when they needed a piece of sunshine.

"I believe in optimism, and even beyond that, I believe when the world is falling apart around you, you can and should find something to be happy about. In the midst of an earthquake where the whole world it seems is crashing down, hold fast to that lamp post, a pillar of light, holding steady in the chaos. For myself, that light usually comes in the form of sweet caring and supportive friends, or in the glowing smile of that girl.

"In high school, we'll say her name was Alli, she cared about everyone. Our senior year Alli became student body president, not because everyone thought she was cute or funny, though she was both, but because everyone knew she generally loved and cared for everyone she met. Everyday she would meet someone new and strike a conversation with them. The next day or several days later she was able to again converse with them about things they had told her. Alli had a knack for making everyone's day better, even if they just passed her in the hallway. Surprisingly to me, on more than one occasion she thanked me for my smile.

"Most of the time something as simple as a smile or a sincere greeting can turn a day around. The reason behind the smile varies though. Sometimes my smile symbolizes sincere happiness, while other times I smile because it is all I can do to hold myself together. If I stop smiling, I cry. It is these days that a smile from someone else becomes my light post, steady through the tremor. These days make me want to smile for others.

"I believe in smiling; I believe in optimism. I believe anyone can become that person, the one who can turn anyone’s day around for the better, all it takes is a smile. A smile is a powerful tool, one that can lighten your spirits, along with those of who knows how many others. This I believe."

The past couple weeks have not been easy at all for me. I feel like my emotions decided to take a roller coaster ride and it's been quite hard. Despite it all, I know when I put a smile on my face, I become happier, and when I don't dwell on my problems they seem to lessen.

"It's funny how some distance makes everything seem small." This weekend I'm in Arizona for my cousin, Courtney's mission farewell, and that step away from my problems made them seem silly. My mom told my aunts, uncles and my grandma about one thing bugging me, and they all started laughing and said, ot that's funny. Not in a hurtful way, but it made me realize, maybe it is a little silly and I shouldn't be worring as much about it as I am. So I joined them and Laughed.

To end my blog today I just want to quote one of my favorite scriptures, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones." Proverbs 17:22.