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G'wan, g'wan and give us a smile
Instant mood lifter.
I had a serious case of the blues this morning. No real reason for it, I was simply mourning the end of the weekend, the chill in the air and the greyness in the sky. Not to mention five days before I would get another sleep in.
So, I headed out for a walk before work, with a frown on my face and irrationally grumpy thoughts gurgling inside me. The first ten minutes, I kept my head down, avoided eye contact with other people and didn’t bother to admire the views around me.
After that, exercise or the cold air must have worked some sort of magic on my grumpiness, and I relaxed enough to enjoy the morning light and being outdoors.
When an old woman greeted me with a face-splitting smile and a great big ‘MORNING!’ I couldn’t help but smile back and murmur a greeting in return. Her smile made me feel happier and I realised that I was still grinning after I had passed her. A few minutes later, a young couple walked past, smiled and nodded their greeting. It buoyed up my mood instantly; I smiled back and copied the old woman’s loud ‘MORNING!’ Again, I found myself still smiling and feeling good after the couple had passed me by.
After that, I made an effort to really smile and greet nearly everyone who passed me by. Okay, so I bottled it an odd time- when someone looked particularly grumpy or when a big group passed by, busy in their own conversation. But for most of the morning, I exchanged happy faces with people of all ages.
I arrived into work, awake, in much better humour and ready to jump straight into the week ahead. Who would have thought smiling could do so much for your mood!
So, next time you see someone approaching you who looks a little blue or a little shy, prepare your biggest smile and greet them with the happiest voice you can muster. It will make their day and it might just make yours better as well.
By: Patricia Brennan
