Smile!

Did you know that today is World Smile Day?  It sure is. In fact, the first Friday of October each year marks World Smile Day, a day to do an act of kindness and make someone smile. With everything going on in the world today, the timing is perfect for taking a day to share good thoughts and goodwill.

Harvey Ball might not be a household name but what he created is internationally recognized and it’s the basis of how World Smile Day actually came to be. Who doesn’t recognize the smiley face?  It’s a circle with two dots for eyes and an upturned curve for a mouth. Ball created it in 1963 only to see it become increasingly commercialized; something that concerned him greatly.  So, in 1999, he founded World Smile Day to remind people of the symbolic icon’s original meaning – spreading joy and love to everyone, regardless of race, gender or geographic location.  Ball believed that everyone has the ability to make a positive difference; that every effort was worthwhile; and he believed in the power of a smile. His motto for World Smile day is “Do an act of kindness. Help one person smile.”

 

Smiling is a good thing; not only for the person smiling but for the person receiving the smile. Among other things, it can reduce stress, lower your heart rate, improve your mood, increase productivity; it’s contagious, it only takes a minute and it doesn’t cost a thing. Yet, that smile or that simple act of kindness can make a big difference in someone’s life at that very moment. That’s something we can all use.

Be the reason that someone smiles today.

Posted by MJ Thomas