A smile heals or how a happy face can prolong our lives

"A smile is a light that, when seen in the eyes, indicates that the heart is at home." Louis Schmidt

One of my very favorite quotes.

We can smile any way we want, if the eyes are not smiling, we can see that the smile is not genuine. Many times a seemingly small thing like a smile and the observation that you are going in the right direction can help a lot.

I remember a sales lady at a health food store. She had a smile for everyone that could cheer you up and make your day. I was walking with just a bag over my shoulder that I hadn't zipped up, and the sales lady noticed a loose thousand-dollar bill peeking out of it. She pointed it out to me. People like that are like sunshine, I'm so grateful for them.

"A smile costs nothing, but it does a lot." A nice motivational phrase from a store that caught my attention at the time. But I would beg to differ with that sentence. That is, the "A smile costs nothing" part. I mean

that in certain situations or when we're depressed or ill, a smile can cost us a lot of effort. On the other hand, people who are not feeling well need encouragement, and a smile. Today's times are moving

and with the associated stress, there is often "no room" for a smile. And it is a great pity, a smile is something precious, yet very important for each of us.

Once, it was on a school trip, I felt sick. First from my stomach and then a general weakness. We were staying with local families. I was lying in bed feeling tired.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Our drivers and the delegate came to comfort me. They surprised me, but very pleasantly. I learned that one of the drivers was a medical clown at the hospital. The aim of the medical

is to "bring joy and good cheer to places where there is little to none." I have to say, they cheered me up and helped me recharge at the same time.

It's not just health clowns that can bring mental well-being and contribute to better overall health. I think we should all strive to do this, even if it is harder to express from some jobs. Volunteers also bring a lot of joy.

Let's try to be more aware of our surroundings, often people are preoccupied with their worries and forget to look around them, and maybe we will be delighted by the seemingly small things. Listening to the birds sing, the smile of a baby in a pram we pass, the gratitude of an elderly lady we help, and the smile on her wrinkled face...

Can you think of a situation when a kind smile helped you? Did you give a smile to someone who was in distress? What puts a smile on YOUR face?