I recently found myself looking at some of my pictures from school and college. Pictures are such a wonderful nostalgia-inducing human creation, no?

Each and every picture carries stories, memories, and sometimes also the only link to the past and people that is long lost 🙂

Anyway, I found a stark and happy contrast between my pictures from my school and college days to the ones I see now.

The subtle change in hairstyles, incredibly apparent change in teeth alignment, and weight fluctuations aside…

I find myself smiling more. And not just because of the teeth alignment. 🙂

I recall a funny (upon reflection) incident from college. Once, I was sitting in the canteen, and this friend randomly asked me, “Bhai sab theek hai?”

I was like yes, why do you ask?

He said, “tu shakal se udaas lag raha hai”

I told him nothing was going on, and I was in good spirits. Or so I thought.

And this was not a scenario where one friend was trying to take another’s case, no. My friend’s question was out of concern.

Looking back, I realise this was not a one-off incident but something that often happened. People used to look at me and ask, is everything alright? You look troubled or stressed.

Was it introversion?

Was it social anxiety?

Was it some deep-seated childhood imprint?

Was it that some unresolved trauma and anger manifested on my face unbeknownst to me?

I can also blame it on the stars– conveniently!

But this particular piece is not meant to make you reflect on the psycho-analytic possibilities of my past, but talk about the light (and the smile) at the end of the tunnel!

I have previously written about my struggles with temper and bursts of anger. I still sometimes find myself trapped by the toxic snare of irritable anger.

One trigger I’ve noticed for my anger is when people are impolite or rude without reason. Also, I do not know what that tells about me—despite being in Delhi all my life, I have yet to come to terms with people being impolite and rude without any reason. If you know, you know, and all that.

But, even in Delhi, I have noticed people respond differently, more positively, when you keep a smile on your face.

That brings us to another logical reason:

Smiling IS infectious!

As if something is programmed within human beings to mirror the other if they find them smiling. Provided it is a sincere smile and not a sarcastic one.

K-Factor

My idol, my object of worship and one considered to be the master of all yogis and mystics, Bhagavan Shri Krishna, is known to have always kept a smile on His face. Be it grazing the cows in Vrindavan, dancing on full moon nights with the Gopis, or even on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Krishna constantly keeps a mild smile on His lotus-like face. No comparing the smile of a master like Shri Krishna, but we can learn, right?

Speaking of Krishna, let me paraphrase a tale I heard from one of my spiritual mentors. There is a story about how once a Western man without an idea about the pantheon of Vedic deities visited temples here in India.

While visiting every temple, he found the most resonance with the deity of Krishna.

His reasoning being Krishna, with His flute and kind smile, seemed closest to the idea of God he had in mind.

My own humble realisation and understanding of various spiritual traditions that I have studied and learned from is that any form of progress on the spiritual path should ideally make one smile more 🙂

Looks Good

No matter what kind of physical features one has acquired through nature, a smile always makes one look more beautiful and attractive by far.

Regardless of skin tone, race, gender, or identity, a smiling human is always more beautiful.

Excuse me

Have you ever noticed that a person with a pleasant disposition is much easier to approach than one with a stern look?

Of course, this is not to say that someone with a stern look on their face may not have a kind heart.

However, say, in a crowd, you have to ask someone for directions (when google maps could be more helpful). Naturally, one would approach someone who looks ‘approachable,’ right?

And who may that be?

Intuitively and organically, it will be someone who we feel has a kind look or smile on their face.

While I extol the virtues and advantages of smiling for us as individuals and the society as a whole in effect, it is also easier said than done. There is also the reality of a barrage of problems that humans have to deal with on a day-to-day basis. But even amidst all of life’s issues, if we all may try to smile more, who knows, life may award us more reasons to smile organically 🙂

Do tell me what you made of this article. Have you ever had a pleasant experience smiling more or have a story connected to it? Share it with me or journal about it.

Thank you so much for reading until the end of the post.

May God bless you with abundant reasons to smile.

If you liked what you read, please share it with others in your circle and network.

Best regards,

Smiling Panda