Why do you smile so much?

Today I had a patient ask me "Crystal, Why do you smile so much?"  My response:  "When I smile it makes me feel so good.  If I had to be honest though the real reason why I smile is because I secretly want people to smile back at me." The patient who struggles severely with depression looked into my eyes and gave me the biggest smile I've ever seen.  I can't tell you how much that made my day.  I love this poem and the author is unknown.

                                                         SMILING IS INFECTIOUS

Smiling is infectious,
you catch it like the flu,
When someone smiled at me today,
I started smiling too.

I passed around the corner
and someone saw my grin.
When he smiled I realized
I'd passed it on to him.

I thought about that smile,
then I realized its worth.
A single smile, just like mine
could travel round the earth.

So, if you feel a smile begin,
don't leave it undetected.
Let's start an epidemic quick,
and get the world infected!

 

I truly believe that smiles are contagious.  I test my theory everyday.  People recognize when you smile and I can honestly say that 90% of the time that I smile at someone they smile back at me.  It's interesting when I don't smile how many people recognize this and ask me why I'm not "Smiling".  In one of my classes in college I read a research study on how smiling can improve your happiness.  It stated that smiling not only makes you feel better emotionally, but as you smile your brain releases endorphins that can relieve pain and increases feelings of contentment.  In my theory and in this poems theory when we smile and get someone else to smile we can increase their happiness just by sharing a smile.  So, Why not smile more? 

 

Get the world infected! I encourage you to test my theory and let me know how it goes! 

 

Crystal Angel

 

A time to be grateful

Everyday I feel so so blessed.  I'm so grateful for an amazing and wonderful god in my life, for my loving family, for amazing friends,  and for a job I absouletly love.  I came across this story the other day, and realized that so many times we lose perspective on what really matters most.  Life is to be enjoyed.  I'm so grateful for the holidays and the time I spend with those I love.  Make room for the things that matter most in your life....everything else is just stuff!!

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full.. The students responded with a unanimous ‘yes.’

The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand.The students laughed..

‘Now,’ said the professor as the laughter subsided, ‘I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things—-your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions—-and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.. The sand is everything else—-the small stuff.

‘If you put the sand into the jar first,’ he continued, ‘there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.

Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and mow the lawn.

Take care of the golf balls first—-the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Beer represented. The professor smiled and said, ‘I’m glad you asked.’ The Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of Beers with a friend.

 

Happy Holidays friends,

 

Crystal Angel

Simply Become who you are!

 

In my bedroom hangs a sign that says "Live, Laugh, and Love."  This has always been my motto in life.  I love my life, I love who I am, and am so excited for the person I am becoming.  Since I was little I have always had a passion for life.    I've always been a curious person who loves people, enjoys the small things in life such as nature, animals (except for squirrels), and the environment around me.  Every day I wake up and tell myself it's gonna be a good day and I believe it.  I'm a half-glass full kinda a girl, and even on my worst day find joy in naming my blessings.  I only have one hold up.     

My greatest vulnerability is human suffering.  I SO DISLIKE to see people suffer.  I've never understood why people are mean, manipulative, and deceitful.  As long as I can remember I have tried to comfort those who stand in need of comfort, who are grieving, and who have been treated unfairly.  The greatest joy that I feel in life is helping and serving others.   

Even though loving others is one of my greatest strengths ......I can honestly say it's also my greatest weaknesses.  Lately, I have felt so inadequate.  I've been praying and pondering why I feel this way.  In the middle of the day it came to me.  Over the course of my life I have had people tell me that I have too much passion for things in my life.  Over the past two weeks two people have told me this very thing.  This has been weighing heavily on my mind...."can you really have too much passion for life?"  Marianne Williamson once said "It's our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.  There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so people won't feel insecure around you." 

I realized today that it's easy to put myself in a box so other people won't feel hurt, insecure, or inadequate.  Today I felt god tell me "Crystal, why are you constantly holding in your light?"  I didn't have an answer.  I honestly feel that it's my passion for my life that makes me successful in my work, and in my relationships with my family and friends.  No longer will I put myself in a box to make other's feel comfortable.  I can love people, but it does me no justice to love people to the point where I give up qualities or traits that make me happy. Life is to be enjoyed not just endured. 

 

Crystal Angel