Joyful January - Workshop 2
Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy. – Thich Nhat Hanh
Welcome to Part 2 of Joyful January. In Part 1 we looked at the ways in which we are all connected and how that means the messages we share in our stories can bring positivity to the world. Today’s focus is on the power of the smile to change the way we, and others, feel.
Just like Thich Nhat Hanh says in the quote above, sometimes joy can come from nothing other than smiling. Whenever we might be feeling a bit glum, my husband and I do big, excited cheesy grins at each other with double thumbs up until we laugh. And it really works every time to get us focused back on the present and cheer us up. When I am out and about in the world and I catch people’s eye, I always smile and most of the time I get a smile back. Sometimes people look startled and suspicious but I smile on anyway!
And I do it as I want to feel connected to the other humans here having this experience with me and because I have loved the poem below since I was young.