So many reasons to keep on smiling and laughing..

Someone asked me recently: “How do you get it right to smile the whole time?”…………. And I laughed and smiled some more…

Truth is; I love life. I love to laugh and I love to see people around me being happy. So I can do my bit to help make people happy I absolutely will. Stems from my childhood I guess…. Seeing Mom being unhappy made me feel unhappy…. Because I knew when her outbursts came, I might (sometimes most definitely) be on the receiving end of the rage. And this cautioned me to do my utmost best to never make my kids feel that way….

I also know that some people just “prefer” to be miserable and make those around them just as miserable and I feel sorry for them!

So why do I smile a lot?

There is no magic potion… I just find reasons to laugh! There are so many good things in this life. I don’t think we need to take EVERYTHING so seriously. There is a time and place for everything and I make time in the day to be happy and enjoy what life has to offer….

Walking to and from the house; taking public transport, being at work, in church and the best spending time with my children and loved one…. In all these scenarios I have been able to find happiness. I could find something to smile about. It could be a kid along the road paying me a compliment when I feel so unattractive; listening to the conversations in the train or taxi and how people experience life or the beggars with all their sayings and gestures; a colleague getting a promotion, a baby, finding happiness; the funny emails or conversations, someone smiling at my baby in church or a message that speaks just to me and then my children with their innocence and husband showing just how much you mean to them; pulling funny faces or reaching another milestone and my heart swells with pride and joy. Getting a hug from one of my loved ones immediately lifts the spirits…. A drunk family member trying not to be annoying! And then of course the laughter of a happy child that can only bring a smile to my face!

Yes, there are times when I just want to sit down and cry or scream at the top of my lungs at life’s unfairness and troubles but I realised worrying and crying about things might make you feel better for a little while (just like substance abuse), but when you come to the realities are still there. The things you worry about need to be worked on to be sorted out and if there’s nothing you can do about it; let it go. Easier said than done, I know….

Throughout my life, laughter has been what kept me sane in times when I started to feel worthless and depressed…. When people (sometimes good old friends) would make fun of the way I look – big ass, flat nose, big teeth, being too skinny, picking up weight and looking pregnant – I felt upset, angry and sad at first but then I realised that some people need to criticise others to feel better about themselves.

Then I would find a friend and tell them what the other person said about it and laugh at their reaction and later laugh at the whole matter instead of staying angry… and for a while I would just stay away from that personJ.

I am no comedian or clown but I do sometimes get people laughing. And making my list of things making me laugh brought back so many memories of all the other countless times and things that made me happy so far.

I tell my life stories (another day’s topic!)  And can’t believe that other people don’t have stories of their own to tell…. So much can happen in an hour that we can talk about so if you lived 20 years; surely you must have some true stories to tell as well….. It keeps me from gossiping about others too!! LOL

I don’t think that I should be regarded as crazy or flippant when I laugh a lot because I can be serious too… very serious. But I realised that a genuine smile from a stranger, friend, colleague or child makes me feel good. And laughter makes me feel even better. After all it is said that Laughter is the best medicine…

So sit and think about all the wonderful things you are blessed with and you will also have reasons to smile most of the time. Through all the hardship and worries and even sad times; we can be happy and smiling.