Where is that smile?

This technology beats me...I tried figuring out how many people read my first attempt at blogging but could not.  I saw 3 comments and 3 followers.  I am happy that someone other than me is actually reading what I write.  So, I have decided to continue writing and today I want to write on that quickly vanishing commodity called " the smile".

There is an old adage that says we strain 17 muscles to smile and 43 to frown. So, it is better to smile than to frown. While I am thrilled with this, the known fact as of now is that it takes 12 muscles to smile and 11 to frown. So, the odds are stacked against smiling.

When I glance at the news paper or view the news channels every day, all that we get to read or see only depresses me. Not sure why only murder, rape, vandalism, extremist activity, corruption, etc. make news value? When we talk to friends, I notice that most of them have only office problems to discuss or just say something not so complimentary about others. 

So, I decided to change channels and started watching the Pogo Channel, a channel for kids.  This is an amazing channel and, I believe, that kids have got it right. They prefer to have fun in their lives.  I watched a program called "Takeshi's Castle".  It was hilarious.  Not only did I have an amazing laugh that lightened my heart but also learnt quite a bit from the program.

Takeshi's Castle is all about people trying out different activities that are absolutely bizarre and trying to succeed in completing those activities.  I have learnt quite a bit from this program. The first is that we can make absolute fools of ourselves in front of the camera and have a blast at it.  That we should keep trying hard and many times over till we succeed (you must have read the story of the Spider and King Robert Bruce).  That we should come up with new and innovative things to do (there are so many activities and games that are done in this program).  And finally, at the end of the day, we must have had a whole load of fun.

In our daily lives, with all the struggles of lousy traffic, depressing news, squabbles and the tensions that we have created for ourselves, we forget to use a commodity that is within each of us. A commodity that we can dish out anytime, anywhere but we choose to ignore.  A commodity that if we dish out, gets dished back to us in equal measure or probably more. A commodity that really lightens our hearts and keeps our souls intact...OUR SMILE !!!