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Posted on: Nov 04, '09

The Upward Curve!

Is it really so difficult to smile? What do we hope to achieve by being grumpy? Do the facial muscles go on a causeless strike once too often? I’ve truly been baffled by people who can’t stretch their mouths a bit!

The other day, I was crossing the road at a signal and noticed this very serious looking face; ‘grim’ is not the word! He was dressed for work and had a laptop in his hand. I did give him the benefit of doubt; maybe, he was late for an important client meeting, or had an impossible deadline to meet! However many excuses I tried to find for him, I couldn’t for the life of me give him a verdict of ‘not guilty’! Surely, the world wasn’t coming to an end the next day!

As obsessed as I’m with the Queen’s lingo, so am I with that most wonderful expression that God has bestowed only on human beings. The physicality of a smile occurs in animals too,

which is labeled as a ‘snarl’ and implies ‘threat or warning’; in chimpanzees, the exposure of teeth is said to be an expression of ‘fear’. Only the homosapiens have been blessed with the feeling of felicity that’s experienced with a ‘smile’.

I smile; wherever I’m I smile. But I don’t receive a similar response from most. I try smiling at sales agents; shop floor executives; auto rickshaw drivers; street vendors; bus

conductors! Mmmmhhhhhhhhm! People either care two hoots or they raise a quizzical eyebrow rather pointedly at me, that questions my sanity! The air is electrified with discomfiture when you get into a lift. Have you tried smiling at people around you inside the lift? They hurriedly look away, focusing on anything that’s there to gaze at; some start revising numerals, counting the floors one by one! Some concentrate so much on the red arrows at the top of the lift that I wonder if it were some new form of meditation or memory improving technique!

At times I wonder if ‘facial paralysis’ is a common epidemic! The tiny muscles just don’t seem to be able to make those tiny movements!

What a difference a smile can do to your day! Especially the variety where the eyes go all crinkly small and bright! For the genuine smile is the one that reaches the eyes! Whether it’s a wide-mouthed grin, or a mere twitch of the lips, a smile that’s reflected in the eyes is worth the world and more!

Give me a smiley e-con any day to that of the supposedly intriguing smile of Mona Lisa! I’ve never been able to comprehend the world going gaga over that smile! Perhaps, I’m artistically challenged! Siggggghhhhhhhhh

I take the cliché, ‘if you find someone without a smile, give him one’ very seriously; I do try my best to give a smile to as many as possible, but people are just not interested in accepting it!

I find it very amusing when I come across certain professionals who think that smiling is below their dignity. I’m yet to come across a ‘jolly goodfellow’ banker; they are born grim I

guess; is not being able to smile a pre-requisite for landing a job at a bank? ha haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa And you have some professors who are conditioned to believe that the ‘grimmer’ they are, the more respect they get! Government officials may not know how the word is spelt! Some may not even be aware of the existence of such a word or the very action itself! Bah!

Is it such a rare commodity? I’m afraid it’s getting close to being listed under the ‘endangered species’! And like various other ‘saving’ campaigns, should we embark on a ‘save the smile’ drive? We do have a ‘world smile day’ (first Friday of October) that commemorates Harvey Ball, who was the artist of the first smiley face. Oh my! That portends more danger! Everyone would smile only once a year!

Smile oozes confidence. Smile wins hearts; smile wins jobs; smile wins big time. I often ask my trainees, ‘when do we smile’? They reply, ‘when we’re happy’. I tell them (of course with a smile), ‘it’s the other way round; when you smile, you’ll never be able to be sad’!

Research says that a ‘smile’ produces more of what you call ‘fun chemicals’, like ‘dopomine’ and ‘seratonin’ and stimulates the well being of the body. So why miss the opportunity?

Stand in front of the mirror and smile; a beaming, radiant face peers at you, doesn’t it? And makes you feel ever so good, doesn’t it? So what are you waiting for? Go ahead! Forget the frown! Just smile the world to a spin!

Oh! Incidentally, the study of laughing and

laughter is known as ‘gelotology’!

I found a lovely clipping on youtube of Charlie Chaplin and a song on smile. Fropper doesn't allow video uploads. I've given the URL here. Go watch and enjoy--------------with a SMILE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iu-rLA4POkI

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fun56 said:
hi chitra
i am amazed by your way of writing and the level of language. there is no doubt you are a genius.i dont know what you do but i understand you are a trainer and the trainees under you are really blessed.
very nice and excellent work
bye
raja

November 19, '09

abhash0 said:
If he doesn't look at you ,throw a smile at him and leave..

Some one said some where...I dont remember.

November 09, '09

RahulRaj1040 said:
Hi Chitra,
So well written and a precise observation especially in the asian continent. My experience is very different when I travelled to europe especially the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and France. People do smile at you at all places and then you being conditioned to the Indian way take a while to respond and since you are late the smile is often a sheepish grin. It takes a while to start responding instantaneously and follow it up with a good morning or good after noon. By the time you develop that habit it is time to come back and then what happens ??? I travel with my wife and start smiling at people in the malls or in a restaurant. Wow then the wifey thinks that I am either going mad or am trying to be a flirt. The dilema continues. Hope that there are more Chitra's around to smile and smile back at without giving much thought to the reason and justification for a smile. Keep smiling Chitra and you are not the odd one out. The others definitely are.

November 07, '09

Heart_Of_Paradise said:
What is Smile? Smile is nothing but a Reflection of Happiness

and I don't know what people loose if they share their Beautiful Smile and they should also know Smile Enhances Class of their Own i.e. their own Personality and also it helps to change the world we Look at...

Smiling Post with Smiling Touch From A Smiling Person i.e.

Chitrajust

November 06, '09

Shomeonly said:
you don't understand...to flash a smile at a lass is fraught with danger, and who wants to take the risk!
btw, share this with your deve gowdas -- both senior and junior -- they will win the contest on grumpiness hands down any day!

November 06, '09

rat_race said:
yeah... smiling sucks !!

but hey dont we all love lollipos too ?

November 06, '09

shubhika6 said:
yes chitrajust
i smile so many times even at netizens but very few smile back.esp women to women.why?

and yes smiles make u so b'ful.the other day a tiff with my boss made me frown so badly but i still did try and smile.

incerdible write up

November 05, '09

impeccabledude said:
why so serious son, lets put a smile on that faace.
even joker, the villain says so.
BTW, chics dont smile, since thee is a saying in hindi, "haasi tau fasi" transliteration : "Trapped if smiled, or whatever"

November 05, '09

MyZoneCAN said:
The upward curve of smile so easy to practice, and yet appears so difficult for many! Blessed are those, who are able to laugh heartily!

November 05, '09

ladli2001 said:
LOVELY POST DEAR.I FEEL WE SHOULD NOT FORGET TO WEAR SMILE EVERY MORNING AND KEEP IT THROUGH OUT.

November 04, '09

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