Smile

This is a chapter from my third book called Love letters

Someone in school used to call me guy smiley. My smile became more of a hermit over the years and only makes guest appearances now. My smile could be considered a lost love. I do not smile enough but when I do it is magical. I could walk a mile every time I smile. Such is the energy of a smile. I once wrote a poem called "Dear sunshine" as follows: You make me smile, I walk a mile, Time after time, Love so sublime, Worries unwind, All in my mind. I wrote that in May and the day after my birthday and now I do not remember exactly what I was writing about. It happens sometimes that I have to interpret my own poem. It is as if my poem no longer has an author and I am just a reader like everyone else.

I love seeing others smile. A smile can brighten up someone's day. We can be the sunshine in someone else's day. We can be the reason they want to go the distance. I think my poem is more about my love for walking (which I will write about in another chapter) and how much I appreciated when there was sunny weather so I could walk. The poem can make you think about the people or things that are like the sunshine in your life. I asked Bard to interpret my poem and this is what he said: Your poem "Dear Sunshine" is a short but beautiful expression of love and appreciation. You seem to be addressing the sun as a beloved friend, and describing the joy and happiness that the sun brings to your life.

The yellow face smile emoji and set of emojis has a history that makes for a good story and can be traced back to something Harvey Ball, a graphic designer in the nineteen seventies, had worked on. He was tasked with creating a morale-boosting symbol for employees at an insurance company. He came up with the idea of a simple yellow face with two black dots for eyes and a curved black line for a smile. He was paid forty five dollars for his work. This easily became popular as a symbol of happiness and positivity around the world.

Metaphorically speaking a smile can be so many things like a ray of hope, a gift from the heart, a glimpse of heaven, a breath of contentment, a friendly handshake or a welcome home mat. Victor Borge once said that, "A smile is the shortest distance between two people." What I take this to mean is that a smile can instantly connect two people. The smile is a universal language. Smiling is a Sunnah in Islam, meaning that it is a practice that was recommended and demonstrated by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). I love how I feel when I smile and I should do it more often. I love when others smile too.

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