What makes you smile? A certain memory? A humorous person? A morning sunrise? We all have something that makes us smile, or at least I hope so. Can we make other people smile? Of course, we can. Here are a few ideas to help you accomplish that today:
Mail a handwritten letter. The average person receives hundreds of electronic messages every day and spends 1.2 seconds with a finger hovering over the trash button before deciding to delete each one or not. Care to guess how that compares to the time people spend reading hand-written letters? Find a notepad and buy some stamps. You will be glad you did.
Tell a joke. You don’t have to be good at the delivery. In fact, you don’t even need to come up with the joke. We put one in this newsletter each issue that is yours for the taking.
Reach out to someone in need. I called a friend recently who suffered a horrible loss of a family member. I dreaded making the call, and he likely dreaded taking it. But after a few minutes, we were both smiling.
Tell people you’re proud of them. You are certainly proud of many people for the wonderful things they do. Tell them.Yes, saying this can feel awkward at first, but the reward will come from the smiles you will instantly see.
Send flowers. I don’t send flowers often, as it seems like a lot of money for something that dies in a few days. Having said that, others seem to enjoy them, which is obvious by the $2 billion that is spent on flowers each Valentine’s Day alone. But don’t wait for a holiday. Send flowers for no reason at all, and they will be appreciated even more.
Deliver food. My wife took a meal over to some neighbors we used to have who were dealing with health problems. She made their day, and their compliments made hers. She brought some food to them a few times each week thereafter, and that simple gesture brought smiles to everyone’s faces.
Pay a compliment. You don’t want to come off as a creep, but if you are sincere, a few words can make someone’s week.
Smile at everyone you see today. If you don’t buy into all the aforementioned ideas, you might this one. My sister had a painting in her bedroom in our childhood home that said: “Smile. It makes people wonder what you’re up to.” And she did. And we wondered. Give it a try.
Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@dmcityview.com
641-755-2115