Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Putting Smiles on People's Faces

Every year for the past several I have dressed up to play Santa Claus for my neighborhood toy drive or play the Easter Bunny for my Optimist Club Easter Egg Hunt.  I have enjoyed dressing up like Uncle Sam for the 4th of July neighborhood picnic and I decorate and create a haunted house for Halloween that usually hosts hundreds of neighborhood kids.
 
Why? Am I a crazy or just an unfulfilled actor?  Perhaps both, yet I do all these things because I get the earn the greatest currency in the word.  A smile.  A ray of sunshine that erupts from a child or parent when you create a special moment.   You get to give something of value to others without being forced to do so.  You get to create a bit of pleasure in a world often filled with discontent and unhappiness.

Doing something nice everyday to make others smile creates a positive emotional bank account that compounds daily.    Everyday I look for opportunities to get one person to smile.  It can be as simple as opening a door for someone or saying, "thank you.

On a flight from Denver to Seattle I brought my trash up to the Flight Attendant and said, "Can I be your first customer?"  Laughing she said, "Yes and gave me the bag and said why not do them all." Not thinking I would do it, I began to walk the aisle where she laughed and caught me, saying," I was kidding." Doing small, seemingly insignificant acts of kindness makes others appreciate you and makes them smile more. Besides, it's fun.  So ask yourself,  have I made someone smile today?

 

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