They say an average person smiles no more than 20 times in a day, while a happy person smiles 40-50 times in a day. And do you have any idea how many times do children smile?
Around 400 times in a day. And that is what makes them beautiful. And that
is why people like me who work with children look attractive. 😉
Some people think that they look socially week if they smile alot but I think they would connect better and make stronger bonds if they smiled more. Though we all know the medical benefits of smiling, like it decreases blood pressure, stress and keeps you healthy but did we know that a smile generates same kind of brain stimulation that is generated by upto 2000 bars of chocolate and that too with no added calories….Imagine!!
Now that you all know the benefits of smile, have you ever thought of passing it on? Yes, have you ever thought of gifting a smile? A rare gift, that costs nothing..not even a wrapping paper and values more than any other gift.
I once happened to watch a story of a 6 year old boy, who lived in US with his aunt. He had lost his dad when he was 4 years old, and then his mom when he was around 5. He stayed in grief and noticed that everyone around who was raising him too stayed sad. Tired of seeing sad faces,on his 6th birthday he made a plan of giving away toys to make people smile. And he went out on the roadside along with his aunt carrying a bag full of little toys, a rubber duckie, a building block piece and what ever he could gather, and he walked upto strangers who did not have a smiling face, gifted it to them and said it was just to make them smile. And every time his trick worked. The stranger would smile, thank him, and hug him back. They were touched by his gesture, and their smile made the little boy also smile, as smile is a very contagious thing.
Story of this young hero touched my heart and I thought if a 6 year old could gift smiles why cant I. And I soon started telling stories to children who had been suffering with HIV, cancer, orphans or in communities who lack basic ameneties. And my only motive behind these stories is to make them smile. One of the most challenging time was last monday when I was invited to tell a story to children at a cancer hospital. Having lost my father to cancer, seeing his long battle and living in and out of a cancer hospital for 2 years, I was nervous going there again. But, taking it as a challenge to gift smiles to these children I accepted it. When I entered the room, the first sight of seeing children as young as 8 months with a thick needle piercing their vein for medicines to pass, wearing sun caps to hide their bald heads, wearing mouth masks to prevent infection and a few carrying their catheter bags, was quite a painful and took me down the memory lane. But then I gathered myself and got more determined on making their next half an hour a dream ride and see as many smiling faces as possible. And the magic worked, the stories put a smile not only on their faces but also on their parents’ and grandparents’ helpless faces who accompanied them. As I relaxed more, their smiles converted into laughter and we all had a memorable time. And that day I realized that you can win over your own fears if you can smile and make others smile. That day by gifting smiles and in an attempt to make them forget their pain, I got healed myself. And I am sure to an extent I healed them aswell because it is said “Making people smile can change the world, may be not the whole world, but their world”.
And my immediate reaction was,”Really, you want a space where you can sit quiet for sometime?”. With no further ado I wrapped up what I was doing and quickly developed a thinking corner for him in the same room. Giving him his own space and letting his energy flow in it and yet keeping him near me. I was surprised to see him sit in it for next 15 minutes meditating on his thoughts.
Parenting by Dr Shweta 