Lesson 25: Smile and the World Smiles With You

This lesson is a fun one!  Have you ever noticed that there are some people who have the ability to attract people around them like magnets?  They may not be particularly beautiful or handsome, but they exude positive happy energy. 

Fact: No one likes to be around a sad sack.  Everyone has their own troubles.  When socializing with others, most people are not interested in hearing your woes. They want to energize themselves with people who can shine a happy light on life's events.

For starters, smile at everyone you see.  You may get some strange reactions, but for most folks, they will smile back at you.  It will make you feel good that you brightened a moment in someone's life, and it will make them feel good that a stranger shared a happy moment with them.

Prologue

I was one of those children who loved to watch people. My mother and grandmother would drag me from place to place during my childhood, and I complacently (although they would have disagreed) accepted the swirling movement from store to store to restaurant to country club and back again. The worst part of the experience was having to go, because there was no one to leave me with. The best part was getting to watch all the people and how they interacted in each new environment.

Little did I know back then that each one of these experiences would create the rules and guidelines for my own view of life. Thirty-two years ago, I met my darling husband, and together we completed our family with our two daughters, now 24 and 28.

Laughter has always been a core characteristic of our family, and my children have been after me for years to publish all my musings so that others could benefit from the lessons I have learned and have shared with my family.

So this blog will be my gift to them with great love and pride. I hope you join me for the ride as I dig back through the past and share my musings with you. If you find yourself shaking your head while reading, please share your own stories. It’s been my experience that each of my little pearls of wisdom has been a great source for spirited discussions!

Enjoy!

Jo Ann