Looking Forward to. . . NATIONAL SMILE WEEK

National Smile Week is celebrated the second week in August every year.

National Smile Week was established in the U.K., in 1976, by the British Dental Health Foundation (BDHF) as a yearly event to focus on good dental hygiene and care. Due to it's popularity, National Smile Week became National Smile Month in 2006, and was adopted by the U.S. in 2009.  National Smile Month runs through the months of May and June both in the U.K. and the U.S.

The question is, is August's National Smile Week in any way associated with the afore mentioned National Smile Week/Month? And the answer is, I dunno! I was unable to find any information indicating that it is. But, who the heck cares?!  Let's just smile, smile, smile!*

Please pay close attention to the following quote. The words ring very true and are a great example of the importance of a smile.

"A smile costs nothing but gives much. It enriches those who receive without making poorer those who give.  It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever.  None is so rich or mighty that he cannot get along without it and none is so poor that he cannot be made rich by it. Yet a smile cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is of no value to anyone until it is given away. Some people are too tired to give you a smile.  Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give."~Author Unknown

Here's a challenge for you. Sit down sometime before next week and think of things you can do to bring as many smiles as possible to other people's faces during National Smile Week.  You could:

• Make  smiley face cakes, cookies, pancakes, or pizzas for your family, friends, or coworkers. (How cute are those pizzas?!)
• Learn some funny jokes to pass along.
• Practice random acts of generosity to put a smile on someone's face.  Leave a small anonymous gift on a co-workers desk.  Send flowers or balloons to your spouse.  Surprise a friend by taking them out to lunch or dinner, or surprise a complete stranger by paying for his breakfast burrito at McDonalds.
• Lastly, smile until your face hurts.  Smile at everyone you come in contact with; family, friends, co-workers, strangers, the lady on the bus, and the checker at the supermarket. Smiles are free to give and usually have a great return.

And remember - "A friendly look, a kindly smile, one good act, and life's worthwhile." ~Author Unknown

*Did you know - that Charlie Chaplin composed the music for the song "Smile" to be used as the theme song of one of his last silent movies, "Modern Times", released in 1936. The song didn't become known as "Smile" until lyrics were added in 1954 by John Turner and Geoffry Parsons and it was recorded by Nat King Cole. It was one of Michael Jackson's favorite songs. Source

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