Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Smiles

There's a lady at my gym. She's 85 if she's a day, her back is hunched, there's more hobble than walk in her gait, and I have never seen her without a smile. I've spoken with her briefly on a few occasions as we came or went in the locker room. She's quick to laugh and easy with a story in her thickly German-accented speech.

She makes me smile. Even when we don't talk. Just the sight of her working her way across the main gym floor makes me happy. I've always been intrigued by older people. I love their feathery skin and crinkly eyes. The personality in their hands. There are those that will bend your ear as long as you'll allow to detail their many ailments and there are those that will regale you with tales of tragedies or victories of days long gone.

I see this lady, with her smile, and I wonder about her. Is it a magic of biology that she survived the sorrows that any lifetime will dish out and still finds so much joy in every moment? Is it sheer force of will? Are there tears hidden away when others aren't looking? I see so much unhappiness. For every person like my smiley gym lady, I see a dozen sour folks. Faces pinched. A lifetime of sucking on life's lemons.

I lie in bed at night, the day's events running through my head and I find myself too often having to relax my tightly pursed mouth into a more natural pose. They say kids laugh a hundred times a day but as we grow up that diminishes until we're lucky if we get even a couple belly laughs out of every day. Do I laugh enough? Do I spend too much time frowning, yelling, scowling? I don't want to be one of those pinched face old ladies and I'm afraid that's the path I'm headed down.

So I'm making a choice to be happy, to smile as much as I can. Life is just too short, no matter how long you live, to be miserable. And you know what? Laugh lines? Are gorgeous.

15 comments:

  1. I totally agree. A long time ago, I learned to laugh more and I think that was the greatest lesson that I could have learned.

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  2. Laughing also releases happy chemicals in your brain so you feel better!

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  3. One of the many benefits of being a nurse is being able to see how very blessed I am simply in being healthy and having three healthy/happy kids. There are so many people who suffer with chronic illness and are STILL able to keep a hopeful smile on their faces...what on earth do I have to be crabby about?

    I adore the elderly population (most of them, that is). You are so right...they have so many stories to share, if we would just take the time to listen to them.

    I can picture your little gym lady right now, and it puts a smile on my face :)

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  4. YES! Great idea. You know what makes me laugh the most? My kids. When I'm with them, I can't help but break out into a huge smile! You know, when I'm not yelling at them from making the house a disaster or staying up hours past their bedtime! :)

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  5. I know it's cheesy but "Smile it increases your face value" is something I always try to keep in mind. I might not be Susie Sunshine on the inside but smiling certainly helps a ray or two peak through.

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  6. Well said, well written. I need to laugh today.

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  7. Making that same decision is one of the best I've ever made. It's not always easy, but it's definitely always worth the effort.

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  8. I catch myself scowling for no apparent reason and am really trying to make a constant smile feel natural. And my shoulders are always hunched, too. Gotta relax those puppies! Maybe the lady at your gym could give a class??

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  9. I don't laugh or smile enough these days. In fact, a friend and I were just talking this afternoon about how rare it is to really, really laugh (like laugh so hard you snort and pee your pants). I think my default expression is a serious, anxious one that I don't intend. Thanks for the reminder to SMILE!

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  10. Laughter is also contagious. If we all try to laugh even once more a day, that will infect people around us and spread the joy. Good luck on your giggles,girly.

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  11. I'm trying SO hard to embrace the lines... They really are a gift that many don't receive - and I should appreciate them more.

    I do laugh a lot though - one of the perks of motherhood.

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  12. I hate those days when I feel like my face is all angry, but there are more days when I find myself laughing out loud at these crazy kids...that's when it's all worth it!

    Old people used to scare me, but now that I'm turning into one, I'm handling them better...except the way they drive...that still drives me nuts!

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  13. I love my laugh lines! As for the lady at the gym... maybe she's smiling for all she's been through in life, how great is that?

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  14. Perfection! Sometimes life gets the better of us and tried to steal our joy. No more! I love this!

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  15. Love it! This is a great post and I hope that you can stick to it to laugh/smile a bit more each day. It will cause others to do the same too as they watch you. :)

    Take care!
    Dee

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Give me some sugar, baby!