Relax Your Face

An old friend once observed that crazy people don’t smile. If that’s so, then the majority of us are bordering on the brink. Pope Francis recommends those who claim to have Jesus in their hearts may want to notify their faces—the same could be said to anyone professing Islamic, Buddhist or otherwise enlightened tendencies. As for smiling faces during the holiday season, yeah, right. I once worked with a kid who said she had the crabbiest customers of the year during her Christmas gig at Starbucks. So much for joy, peace and goodwill to all.

Relax your face. While you’re at it, drop your shoulders and inhale until your ribcage swells—but if that’s too much, just do the face. Do it, ’cause I bet you have no idea how tense your face is, and when it’s tense, it’s probably frowning. Or scowling. Or anxious. One thing is sure: it ain’t smiling.

I’m not suggesting you walk through life with a goofy grin in place. That would be unrealistic, not to mention ridiculous. I am suggesting, however, that a couple of times a day, take a minute to soften the muscles in your face, maybe even conjure a little smile while you’re folding laundry or mixing a batch of muffins. I tried it while disentangling Christmas tree lights and my BP improved in the same instant as my mood.

You must be aware of your face before you can soften it, however, so paying attention is the first step—especially in a neutral position, i.e., when you’re not engaged in some emotional hijinks or concentrating on a math problem. Try it when you’re alone and see for yourself: relaxing your face relaxes everything. It won’t solve your problems, but it softens a resistant stance. You might even feel a little better, too.

How can that be bad?

Hanging By A Heart

It may seem like that’s what we’re doing. The world is tipping toward the Dark Side and all that keeps us from tumbling into a vortex of despair is the random act of kindness, the charitable work, the human impulse to help a stranger in distress.

Love.

A few fun facts:

A single hopeful thought will neutralize a hundred hateful ones.

A single compassionate gesture outweighs a dozen petty misdemeanours.

A single grateful moment is worth a thousand ungrateful ones.

As for the masses who struggle daily to find love and gratitude in the fight to survive, well, at least they’re looking, and if they’re looking, they will find it.

Here’s a tip:

Look inside first. It’s there. It wants to be found. And if you don’t see it right away, keep looking. Dig deeper. Look in the mirror. Smile.

Yes, smile.

It’s like turning on a light. The gloom immediately lifts, and sometimes, if you do it in company, the light will spread and before you know it, you feel better, others feel better, the world feels better.

She knows, you know. The world. She feels our energy and responds in kind. She feels our collective conflict, our misery, our greed, our sickness, and she is sick because of it.

But a single positive spark can keep her—keep us—from dropping into the abyss.

How?

Light a candle in a darkened room and see how far the little flame throws his beams.

That’s how.

With love,