In an attempt to reverse gravity in my face, I have decided to smile as much as I can. I can feel my facial muscles saying “OK, what’s with the constant lift?” I wonder if people feel this way after they have had a face lift. I guess their muscles don’t get tired, because they are held up there by stitches or staples. One night while I was going to sleep I noticed I had a scowl on my face. Nothing bad happened I was not mad at anyone. It was just there. Previously, before my smile decision, I never noticed. You can see how things just creep up on you. One minute you’re a smiling happy person, the next you have a permanent frown and you look like a hundred year old bitter grouch that people avoid. You never see it coming.
It does not seem fair, as in exercise the older you get the more you need to keep it up, the smile. Gravity has had many years of pulling and you have had a lot more disappointments, resentments and losses. These are the killer of our spirit. When our spirits are pulled down so is our face.
I decided to continue smiling so my face would get used to it and stay up more. I look much better smiling. A fake grin does not work. It has to be a big toothy genuine smile that comes from within. It not only lifts my chin and cheekbones it softens lines around my mouth and brightens my eyes. The crow’s feet even look nicer, like little rays of sunshine. They crinkle up when I smile. I would rather have smile lines then frown furrows.
My cheap, non-invasive face lift has given me by-products I could have never predicted. It makes my heart feel good, more compassionate, more loving. Smiling has actually made me more generous. I truly like doing nice things for everyone, even those who forgot how to smile. It makes me more affectionate. I hug people now for no reason. I think it makes me look more lovable because people are now much more affectionate to me and they are always smiling back at me.
Self criticism is a thing of the past. I actually approve of myself just the way I am. I feel satisfied and fulfilled and I count my blessings. I so appreciate everything and I am constantly in a state of awe at the beautiful world around me. I now feel happy and free most of the time, until I forget to smile. I am now on the lookout for what is good and pleasant in my world.
Smiling also contributes to raising my mood. It is hard to grumpy or sharp tongued while smiling. It does not go together. Smiling draws people toward me. It’s like a magnet. They think I am smiling at them, not just trying to hold my face up. It makes them very curious. I can see them wondering what is she smiling at. This experiment has shown me that if you change just one little thing everything changes.
When I am smiling my body feels better. I hardly have the aches and pains of my non- smiling days or I don’t feel them as much. I guess my body is acting out what my face is doing. It is hard to complain while smiling
As I was walking the other day in a beautiful park with a big smile on my face I realized how easy it is to smile when I see hundreds of tulips in bloom or when I catch the scent of perfume coming off the Lilacs as I walk by. Can I keep smiling when someone says no to me or when I am worried about something, or when I am toiling away at some house cleaning chore? That is the test. I studied with a yoga master many years ago who would have me in a balance position for a very long time and as my face was making all kinds of straining positions he would remind me to keep a good countenance while doing hard things. “Smile, Linda” he would say. “The harder it gets the more you smile and when you release you will be pleased with yourself for keeping good cheer under pressure” He reminded me that when I smile I am practicing the art of Santosha, the Sanskrit word meaning ‘the spiritual art of contentment under all circumstances.’
Smiling while meditating is one of the most exquisite feelings of bliss that you can ever imagine. It feels as if you are sitting in the midst of the most Divine light. When I say Divine I mean otherworldly. It is so good that it eludes words. This is true spiritual seeking. Your smile moves you to the most incredible place and you have a hard time returning to your day, but when you do your day and interactions are something beyond wonderful.
In the beginning it was hard to do, I felt like my face was cracking. I got in touch with what that saying ‘crack a smile’ means. It was like my face was cemented in permanently serious status. It does get easier as I move along. I am still a novice at this; however I do see I have to be ever vigilant, lest I fall back into old habits and my face and personality falls into disrepair.
God Bless
Linda
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