An Extra Smile....

Thought and Poem – December 31, 2014

We can never underestimate the value of a smiling face. How many times in our lifetime has someone showed up at our door when we were feeling lonely, or we opened a card we just received in the mail or in email and their thoughts warmed our hearts, leaving us with a smile?

A smile may be all that we can give to someone else when there is nothing else we can do to change their situations. A smile can erase anticipated fear when we are about to engage in something that we do not want to do…like going to a doctor. You sit in the waiting room, they call your name, they usher you back into a little cubicle where you wait some more…then…the nurse/MA or CNA come in with their bright smiles…and you can feel the panic attack you wanted to have disappear. Yes?

What about smiles that encourage us with that, “You Can Do It” spirit. Such as, when we took our first steps as toddlers, or we had to get up in front of an auditorium to give a speech or when we had a part in a play? We looked out in the audience for the support we needed to let us know we would get through the moment and there it was…a smile from one of our parents, a friend, or our teachers. All beaming their confidence in us and letting us know they had our backs whether we succeeded or failed. Yes, smiles can do more than shine, show your bright teeth or show your joys….they can warm hearts.

What about you? Have you ever seen the value of your smile when someone you know needed that pick-me-up moment, when you knew someone who was afraid, or they needed a little encouragement? Share your thoughts with us…Jeanne Claire Probst

An Extra Smile

I stood in front of my closet wondering what I was going to wear today,

But nothing I picked look right; nothing felt okay.

I am not really so picky but I wasn’t feeling so chipper,

So I needed to look for the right outfit to wear that would help me to feel better.

I needed to find the pair of pants that I knew was in this closet somewhere,

These yellow pants have pockets in them where I always keep an extra smile, a spare,

Just in case I meet someone today who may have lost their smile somewhere along the way,

All I have to do is reach in my yellow pant pockets to give to them so they will have a smile to wear today.

So you can see how finding the right pair of pants to wear can be important,

These pants hold the spare smiles that will help me to be more pleasant,

Because when I woke up this morning I wasn’t feeling so strong,

But now that I have dressed and I am wearing the “extra” smile,

I should be more chipper at least for a little while.

Now when you see me I will be feeling spirited and ready to face the day,

And I will be ready to help should you need a smile today.

Together we will look for yet another extra smile that you can have for a spare,

To keep it in your closet when you need a smile to wear!

Jeanne Claire Probst