INVENTING DARLA/Smile and the whole world smiles!

I was taught that one is not fully dressed until you put on a smile. It is true that when you smile, the whole world smiles with you. Something as simple as a smile can brighten an entire room, lift a burdened spirit and can improve one’s health. It’s one of those natural drugs that makes you feel and look like a million dollars. It’s infectious, too!

I was at a pharmacy the other day waiting on a prescription and an adorable baby girl caught my eye. I automatically smiled and her face lit up like a sunbeam. We played peek-a-boo for at least 30 minutes, smiling the whole time. I felt sorry for her Dad’s neck, which at some point became a pole as she would peek at me from side to side. I was tempted to yell out in the lobby, ‘Hey ya’ll, we’re giving out free medicine! Come get some of this!’ But I decided against it because I didn’t want to hear some smartaleck say: ‘If smiling is good for what ails you, then why are you at the pharmacy?’ It would be hard to smile and say, ‘None of your business!’ – which would have surely ruined my “Smilefest.” So I kept my thoughts inside instead.

While smiling is a natural drug, according to Dr. Mark Stibich, there are some serious side effects. Here’s a list:

• Smiling Makes Us Attractive
• Smiling Changes Our Mood
• Smiling Is Contagious
• Smiling Relieves Stress
• Smiling Boosts Your Immune System
• Smiling Lowers Your Blood Pressure
• Smiling Releases Endorphins, Natural Pain Killers and Serotonin
• Smiling Lifts the Face and Makes You Look Younger

It is true that when you smile, the whole world smiles with you, whether you have teeth or not. There’s something about the raw power of a smile. When Moms Mabley took her teeth out and flashed that big smile, it was over!

The baby girl in the pharmacy had that same effect.