“The world always looks brighter from behind a smile.” — Unknown
Does it make you feel good to smile? Here are a few facts about smiles that you might not only find interesting but they might make you smile.
Smiling helps us live longer – People who smile are generally happier. Smiling decreases blood pressure and released those nice endorphins. And smile wrinkles are always nicer than frown wrinkles.
Smiling is contagious – You see someone smiling you almost always smile back at them.
Smiling reduces stress – Researchers have studied smiling and concluded that if you smile, you’ll release those endorphines, breathe deeper and be able to have a calmer outlook and a better ability to cope with whatever is stressing you out.
Smiling can make you happier – Again we have the reseaerchers who say that the act of smiling can trick our brain into believing things aren’t as bad as we might think. For sure, it’s worth a try. So, for you and for all those people around you, just keep those smiles coming and going.
¨What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life’s pathway, the good they do is inconceivable.¨– Joseph Addison
Wednesday I promised one of you who commented on my post that I’d try to share a few smiles. So here’s a pass-around I got from somewhere who knows when, but I hope it will make you smile. I’m smiling while I’m typing and you know I do think smiling and thinking about you out there smiling too is bringing a little cheer to this chilly, rainy January night. And now you’ll know why I have that picture of 1685 Westminster Abbey Choir.
The top ten reasons men should join the church choir:
10. Rehearsals are every Wednesday night. Which means that for those few hours, you will significantly reduce your risk of contracting tendinitis from nonstop operation of a television remote control or computer mouse.
9. Because you wear a choir robe every Sunday, you are liberated from a task many men find quite challenging: finding clothes that match properly.
8. From your special vantage point every Sunday, in which you look out at the entire congregation from the choir seats, you will develop interesting new hobbies. Among these is a little guessing game called “Who’s Praying, Who’s Sleeping?”
7. On the other hand, sitting in full view of a church full of people makes it much less likely that you yourself will give in to a chronic lack of sleep. Although it has been known to happen.
6. If you think your singing in the shower sounds good now, just wait till you’ve been singing with us for a few weeks.
5. Singing in a choir is one of the few activities for men that does not require electronics equipment or expensive power tools. This could be good for the family budget.
4. For the fitness buffs, singing in the Choir is not only heart healthy, it’s soul healthy. But there are no monthly membership fees, and it’s a lot easier on the knees than jogging.
3. If you think you’ve done everything there is to do, and there are no great challenges left in life, try singing with us guys and staying on pitch.
2. Choir rehearsal lasts half as long as a professional football game, but is at least twice as satisfying. This is especially true if you are a long-suffering fan of a team that can’t seem to make a touchdown. (Don’t worry, though, rehearsals are on Wednesday, not Monday Nights.)
And the number 1 reason men should join the choir:
1. When people ask you whether you’ve been behaving yourself, you can say with the utmost sincerity, “Hey, I’m a Choir Boy.”
“A smiling face is a beautiful face. A smiling heart is a happy heart.”– Dr. T.P.Chia
I hope you found a smile while reading this.
What makes you smile?
Comments 14
So fun to read. Actually I didn’t get far when I had to go back and share it with my family. We all smiled/laughed largely! Thank you for sharing!
Author
That’s so fun to read, Shari. Has me smiling that you got some smiles and laughs out of my post. Sounds as though you might have some choir boys in your family. 🙂
Another wonderful post, Ann — especially the piece about men in the church choir! I’m sorry that so many churches these days have given up having a church choir. The choir was not only a blessing to the congregation, but also a blessing to those who practiced and participated together in singing to the Lord. Nowadays, it seems like very few in the church congregation sing during the worship time — they let the worship team do it all. Sadly, that deprives them of the blessing of making a “joyful noise unto the Lord”!
Author
Some of the churches in our area still have choirs, Roberta. Our church doesn’t have enough members for a choir or a choir loft for them if we did. We have to the be the choir in the pews. We do make a joyful noisse to the Lord although I know some who don’t sing because they think they can’t sing on tune. I think they should go ahead and sing out.
Glad you enjoyed the post.
Enjoyed reading your post Ann, made me smile! Thinking of spring and flowers makes me smile. Warm breezes filled with honey suckle scent, the first cucumber or tomato that I get to bite into from my garden makes me smile. My dog loping across the yard with her ears flopping makes me smile. The first time I hear frogs chirping in the spring, a colorful butterfly, a bright flower opening up for the first time, all make me smile.
Author
So glad my post gave you some smiles, Connie. Love the things your mention that make you smile. I can see the yummy tomato you’re biting into and your dog with her ears flopping as she runs toward you. Thank you so much for sharing your reasons for smiling.
Enjoyed the Sunday Smiles! The reasons for men to join the choir are priceless.
I like to smile and laugh because it makes me feel good. I also like to smile at people even though they are frowning and perhaps distracted or worried. Sometimes I’ll get a smile back and sometimes not. Besides that, frowning gives a woman wrinkles and we don’t want that. I had to say that.
Author
So glad you enjoyed the Sunday smiles, Loretta. Smiling at others is usually the best way to start a smile coming back your way. And smiling wrinkles are the best.
A beautiful sunrise or sunset, red birds, butterflies, lovely flowers, flowing water (over rocks usually), dolphins, my wonderful children and my spectacular grandson just to name a few! Loved the reasons for men joining the choir. Made me smile!! Thank you Ann for starting my week off with a grin across my face!
Author
Always good to start the week with a grin, Pamela. All those things you name bring smiles my way too although I’m not sure when I’m walking and see those flowers and butterflies, I actually smile on my face instead of only in my heart. I’m going to change that and up the happiness quotient.
Ann, loved the Top Ten Reasons Men Should Join A Choir–funnny and clever.
Author
Glad you enjoyed it, Chris. I put a shortened list in our church bulletin several years ago even though our little church doesn’t have a choir. So, our guys are out of luck on claiming to be choir boys.
Babies, puppies, kittens, birds, sunshine, colorful flowers, autumn leaves, slightly funny jokes, my grandchildren. Those are a few things that make me smile. I could go on and on. I do notice that smiling makes me feel happier even if there’s not really anything to smile about.
Author
That’s what the researchers said too, Lee. Smiling, even when we don’t really notice anything particular to smile about, makes us feel happier. So when I smile at my computer while I’m writing, maybe it will make for a happier scene when I’m supposed to be writing a happy scene. I have been known to shed a few tears when editing a sad or touching scene, but not usually while I’m writing the scene to begin with. Guess I don’t have time to wipe away tears then. But a person can smile any time. 🙂