Connect with a smile

In days gone by, it was such a pleasant sight to see men and women cultivating the paddy fields. There is so much hard work, harsh circumstances and little leisure in the work they put in, but they connect with a smile of contentment. They take life cheerfully with no trace of any grim circumstances. There is always a captivating smile on their faces, friendly and full of warmth. As I pass by admiring the beauty, a woman with a warm smile beckons me as she cuts the paddy stalks rhythmically with other women folk.

Now-a-days, we rarely get to admire this beautiful scenery, for instead of green fields, we see multi-storeyed buildings popping up like mushrooms.

Life is difficult. All of us have problems. There are ups and downs in life we have either to accept what life has to offer as one’s destiny or put forth a smiling ‘dare you’ to the challenging circumstances, share moments from our life with another and brave it out. 

Our smile reflects what is inside us and communicates our desire to experience connectedness with another. Smiling at another is a fleeting moment, but sublime nevertheless. In today’s modern world, rushing past our fellow travelers, there is a forgetfulness in our behavior – a friendly nod or a broad smile which brings to my mind an old adage – ‘Smile the while, for while you smile, another smiles and so there’s miles and miles of smiles because you have smiled’. There are many who crave for a connection with another being as a means to walking the path of contentment. Connecting with a smile is perhaps one way to finding contentment. All great men have been faced with daunting problems. But these problems only increased their creativity. When you come face to face with stress, take it as a challenge and try to meet it with a smile on your face. You don’t lose anything – in fact your mind is activated in the positive direction. Don’t lose your positivity, don’t resort to the language of complaint – for no poison can kill positive thinkers, no medicine can cure negative thinkers.

We need challenges even if we have a mountain to climb or a river to cross, to forge a success. If we reach one peak, search for another, but always with a smile. Of course with age, physical ability may go down. If your level of joy and aliveness is going down, it is Nothing in life is certain as death. Everything living is bound to die one day. We appear on the world scene only to disappear after a short span of time. So why not be happy and cheerful and try to make hay while the sun shines?

Nothing in life is as certain as death. Everything living is bound to die one day. We appear on the world scene only to disappear after a short span of time. So why not be happy and cheerful and try to ‘make hay while the sun shines’?