Smile³

Waking up at 4:30 am has been an off and on again ritual for me over the last couple of years.  Don't get me wrong, there have been long periods of time where I do not get up at this time, but recently, I have started the ritual again.  My main goal for waking up at this time is to hit the gym and start my day with an intense cardio workout or some zen yoga.  This morning seemed to be like any other morning, I rolled out of bed at 4:30 am, but in keeping with my practice of mindfulness, I was reminded of the phrase a dear friend used to say to me, "smile three times".  The purpose of this exercise, my friend would remind, is to smile three times when I am not feeling my best and wanted something to get me through a challenging situation.  This morning, it took on a slightly different meaning to me.

Usually when I arrive at the gym at 5:00 in the morning I am not myself, I more resemble some sort of zombie like creature who can barely manage a grunt, let alone a sincere smile.  However, this particular morning was different, I made the conscious decision to smile at everyone at my gym.  I was a little leery that my gracious gesture would not be reciprocated, but to my surprise most people shot back a huge, ear to ear, toothy grin.  Fantastic!  This made my morning, I was feeling good and thinking that the expression is true, "a smile is infectious".

To get back to the expression "smile three times", my friend might have meant to smile to yourself three times to feel better, or he might have meant to smile at three people you come into contact with throughout your day. The positive facial expression is infectious and can possibly bring the feel good feeling to another person who will then decide to pass it on.