Wednesday 1 February 2012

Smile-it-forward

Another dreadful journey on London underground this morning, amidst all the armpits, newspapers cutting into my cheek and stale beer stench, something strange and wonderful happened, someone smiled at me, it was puzzling at first, then uncontrollably my facial muscles contracted and produced a smile (a beautiful smile at that) and we both acknowledged eachothers’ wretched position, from that point on, I forgot the smelly armpit, the leftover curry and the bad cologne and just wore a faint smile on my face that relaxed my tense muscles and I thought: it’s not that bad


So I went on about my interminable journey to work, my facial muscles relaxed and poised, I smiled at the next person who held my gaze, she smiled too and then it hit me…

It’s infections, you can catch it like the flu, it spreads like it was airborne and changes the atmosphere. It reminded me of a movie I watched once that made me weep like a child “paying it forward” based on the novel by the same title by Catherine Ryan Hyde starring that little cutie pie of a boy who started a movement called pay-it-forward, whereby he does one act of random kindness to three people and instead of having them pay him back, he asked them to 'pay it forward' by helping three other people, who would then each 'pay it forward' by helping three other people, who then go on to do the same in the hope of changing the world, of course the little boy died and it was all very sad and Hollywood like. 


I started reading on smiling, the physiological and emotional side of it and I became fascinated with smiling, in Islam, it is said that a smile in the face of others is considered charity or a good deed, and I thought that was so beautiful and I can see how a small facial contraction as it were can have huge effects on a whole group of people, a bit like a butterfly effect.

So I take it upon myself to always smile and smile back when people smile at me and sometimes you don’t know why you smile at some and not others and no it has nothing to do with being attracted to that person, notice how it is always women who initiate the smiling, old people smile, children smile and sometimes they stare at you in fascination (in my case it must be due to my striking beauty), don’t get me wrong, I am not walking around like a smiling moron flashing my teeth, the wrinkles are just not worth it, I endeavour to draw the line at a faint smile but certain people you cross on the train or the shop insist on sharing a thought or a joke with you, so again you smile (showing teeth this time) and nod in agreement but secretly hope it'll be the end of this chapter, but it usually never is!

Notice how it’s always women who smile at other women, children or older people, never at men, a women smiling at a man could be perceived as an open invitation or forward flirting and vice versa thus people of the opposite sex seem to refrain from this odd behaviour, unless there is an actual attraction but seeing that we live in England and males behaviour is fuelled by beer, women will continue to smile and support each other, I don’t want to hear anyone whinge about what a waste it is a lot of beautiful women are lesbians though.

In Graph 1.1 above, I have demonstrated clearly and with obvious elegance and skill, how this is going to work for the recently lobotomised and the ones who don’t’ speak English (no correlation between the two).

I smile at three people a day, in turn these same people, will each smile at three other people and so on and so forth and we watch the wrinkles grow and good mood spread…maybe this will shift the energy around us and ……(insert more Anthony robins crap here)…making our worlds better.
Are you cringing yet? Well you should be.

The point I am trying to make is: smile it really isn’t that bad.
Despite all your cynicism, frustrations and hormonal imbalances, smiling is the only thing that is consistent and can alter all the negative feelings you may have and it really is an inexpensive way to change your looks, I mean have you ever seen a smiling face that was not beautiful?
See? Beautiful
Dz-Chick…smiling always :-) but with good anti-wrinkle cream 

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NB: Do not attempt to psychoanalyse me through the handwriting - you don't know it's me.
Also, the last picture gives me the icks!

47 comments:

  1. First! Now I'm gonna read :-)

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  2. Ha ha didn't know there was a contest :p
    So?? Are you smiling Lila? Do you think my movement will catch on?

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  3. :) Well, that made me smile so I am passing it forward via facebook and twitter.
    P.S. Good luck with the wrinkles

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  4. That's cool :)
    Thanks for the free PR Serage

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  5. Is that ATO up there?

    I don't blame you. You think I am most likely to be reached by some weirdo guy :)

    Your faithful reader ATO

    ATO

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  6. Yeah that's you ATO! You need to be reached by the smile chain :)

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  7. Yes I just tried smiling to a baby and he was like call 999 :)

    ATO

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  8. Smile indeed.. talk about positive infectiousness.

    This stuff is really needed in ALgeria...the best way to disarm our tense brethren is via the introductory smile ..Airports, postoffice, even while driving..

    Suggested blog topics

    1. The 7 kinds of smiles & what they (really) mean

    2. How to Disarm fellow Algerians (in Algeria) via The Smile (Weshbik M'shennef?)

    3. What would happen to Algiers Metro if "Random Acts of Kindness do" were practiced?

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  9. it's only safe for a young man to smile at old ladies and sometimes if they're old enough ... old men. otherwise, you're most likely a pervert or a paedo. i saw this cutest of little girls the other day on the train sitting to my left who kept glancing at me from around her mother's body (which was in the way) and also from the reflection in the window. i wanted to smile at her. she was actually quite playful and funny. obviously, i couldn't display any sign of emotion and kept a straight face and avoiding eye contact with her.
    the worst is when you smile at someone and they blank you out or just look the other way ... wnkrs.

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  10. Dz-Child

    Remember that when you sun-bathe with those fabulous pear-shaped buttocks turned to the sun, it is yours truly who smiles on you, and touches you with a thousand thrilling fingers, the entire length of your barely clothed body.

    God

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  11. :-))) Souris à la vie et la vie te sourira as they say. Smiling is good. But laughing is better. I don't get to laugh often enough, so I think of funny stuff, then I start laughing alone in public like an idiot. Make me laugh!

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  12. ATO I would have probably done the same
     
    Here&there my movement is going Global, pandemic; Algeria has been identified as one of the locations in dire need of this.
    1) Seven kind of smiles? I found 15 types…what do you think?
    -          Sweet mile
    -          Loving smile
    -          Happy smile
    -          Thoughtful smile
    -          Knowing smile
    -          Smirking smile
    -          Lucky smile
    -          Naughty smile
    -          Amused smile
    -          Satisfied smile
    -          Confident smile
    -          Proud smile
    -          Sexy smile
    -          Encouraging smile
    -          Admiring smile
     
    2) How to disarm fellow Algerians via the smile movement
    You tell him: Weshbih wechek mkssar
     
    3) Acts of random kindness are already practiced in Algeria (all over not just in the metro), but smiling makes people uncomfortable, you’re supposed to snob not smile…further research and field work required.
     
    StoryTeller it is sad that people are scared to look or smile at children now, ever since the word paedophile went mainstream and people who didn’t play with dolls as kids starting procreating.
     
    God You are a bit erotically inclined for a divine entity – what’s up with the solar storm? My GPS stopped working? Can I make a complaint?
     
    Lila Ait The act of laughing triggers the release of the happy hormone, so even when sad, you can trick your body into thinking you’re happy by faking a laugh (women can fake many things, you know like a headache etc…), so laugh away Lila it’s a good pick-me-up.

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  13. My child,

    I AM GOD, and I AM about FUN and PLEASURE in all their many forms, especially those forms found with stunningly sexy EVES.
    I AM Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending of all things.
    I exist forever on the Garden of Delights. Even now I see Eve in her best Erotic Pose! Oh! Come unto Me, Let Me Labor over Thee, for I AM Heavily Laden!

    Divinely yours

    GOD

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  14. God I never thought I'd say this to God but .... Duude! And anywho I thought you were supposed to be asexual! Am confused!

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  15. Dear Child,

    It is quite understandable that you learning that I am God caused such an adverse reaction in you. But I did try to prepare you for the revelation.
    Did I not tell you that I AM all about FUN & PLEASURE?
    What has been admired and worshiped throughout the known history of man is SEX. The PHALLUS and the VAGINA were instituted as OBJECTS of worship from the very earliest of times. What in the hell do you think the Great Pagan Rites and Festivals were all about if it wasn't SEX?
    I, your God, knoweth all things, and will teacheth all things.
    Hear my chant O child wandering the earth. Safe is being in my aegis

    GOD

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  16. god aka chico?

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  17. Dear Child,

    Believe me when I say that you know nothing of the experiencing of "delusion". Alit, little bird, on yonder limb and I will with great joy teach you a memorable lesson. Warning: it takes a REAL woman to undergo this initiation. If you are a Gurl, run.

    The Almighty

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  18. DZC

    IF I smile to you :D


    ATO

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  19. "Live, Love, Laugh"

    Crowded Subway-
    The subway car was packed. It was rush hour, and many people were forced to stand. One particularly cramped woman turned to the man behind her and said, "Sir, if you don't stop poking me with your thing, I'm going to the cops!"

    "I don't know what you're talking about miss - that's just my pay check in my pocket."

    "Oh really," she spat. "Then you must have some job, because that's the fifth raise you've had in the last half hour!"


    After the Office Party-
    John, woke up after the annual office Christmas party with a pounding headache, cotton-mouthed and utterly unable to recall the events of the preceding evening.

    After a trip to the bathroom, he made his way downstairs, where his wife put some coffee in front of him.

    "Louise," he moaned, "tell me what happened last night. Was it as bad as I think?"

    "Even worse," she said, her voice oozing scorn. "You made a complete ass of yourself. You succeeded in antagonising the entire board of directors and you insulted the president of the company, right to his face."

    "He's an asshole," John said. "Piss on him."

    "You did," came the reply. "And he fired you."

    "Well, screw him!" said John.

    "I did. You're back at work on Monday.

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  20. Une de plus pour la route :)
    Jeff the Bellboy-
    Three couples got married and spent their honeymoons at the same hotel, where they were all attended to by Jeff the Bellboy.

    The first man married a nurse.

    Jeff showed them to their room, all the while thinking to himself, "Lucky guy! Nurses are known to be hot to trot."

    The second man married a telephone operator.

    Jeff showed them to their room, while thinking to himself, "Wow, he's one lucky dude. Telephone operators have such sexy voices and once you pop that top button.. Va-voom."

    The third man married a school teacher.

    Jeff showed them to their room and thought to himself, "Poor sap. She may be pretty, but teachers are way too frigid."

    At 5:30 the following morning, Jeff reported to work. He expected the teacher's husband to call for breakfast any minute, but was sure the other two wouldn't call until much later in the day.

    The phone rang at 6 a.m. and it was the nurse's husband wanting breakfast. Jeff took breakfast up to the room and when the husband opened the door, Jeff stepped back in shock. The man's pajamas were still pressed and his hair nicely combed.

    "Sir, what happened?" asked Jeff. "You married a nurse."

    "Son, don't ever marry a nurse," the man sourly replied. "All I heard last night was her nagging voice saying, 'You're not sanitary, you're not sanitary'."

    The phone rang again at 6:30 a.m. and this time it was the telephone operator's husband calling for breakfast. Jeff took it to the room as quickly as possible. When the man opened the door, Jeff stepped back in shock. The man's hair was neatly combed and his pajamas nicely pressed.

    "What happened?" Jeff asked with surprise. "Telephone operators as supposed to be as sexy as their voices."

    "Son, don't ever marry a telephone operator," the man groaned. "All I heard last night was her nasal voice saying, 'Your three minutes are up, your three minutes are up'."

    Jeff returned to his desk, sure that the teacher's husband would be calling at any moment.

    Finally, at 4 p.m., the teacher's husband called for breakfast.

    Jeff couldn't believe it, but quickly took the breakfast to the couple's room. When the man opened the door, Jeff stepped back in shock. The man was wearing only a pair of boxers, his hair was a mess, and there were scratches all over his chest, arms and legs.

    "My goodness sir, what happened to you?" Jeff asked, fearing the worst. "Did you have a fight?"

    The man, grinning from ear to ear, happily replied, "No. Son, when you marry be sure it's to a school teacher. All I heard last night was her sexy, smooth voice saying, 'We're going to do this over, and over, and over again, until we get it right'."
    :)

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  21. Nice to see you finally could afford to purchase your own personal domain name :)

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  22. Vive teachers!
    Thx Anonymous, I bought a while back now yes

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  23. That explains it! A down and out hanging around the Number 2 line entrance at Chungmuro (Seoul) started leering at me. Scared the bejesus out of me. Now I see it was all due to your chain!

    Your list of 15 is good, can think of one more. It is a 'WTF is wrong with that guy?! ' smile.

    Blue: loved the teacher joke. Reminded me of a teacher I once knew...

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  24. @formosa: thanks! OH so you're the lucky guy!!! Loll :)

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  25. Formosa you mean to say my movement has already reached Korea? Yeah baby! I never like to say Awesome but If I had to I would Awesome!!

    Blue do you reckon male teachers are the same?

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  26. I can see where this conversation is going :)

    Watch it please sisters ;)

    ATO

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  27. Nothing new was deemed worthwhile in that the commonplace of the gods soars meteor -like above the heads of the lesser species.

    God

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  28. @Dz-chick: Sorry hun, don't have the answer to that question, but it's worth finding out! lolll;)

    @Ato: Who do you think you are to tell me/us what to say or what not to say!! That's one thing that infuriates me!! So let it go Ato!!

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  29. Blue hun it's cool he's only bring playful ... Don't get pissed off now!

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  30. am a teacher. who wants a lesson?

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  31. hmm did i kille the mood?

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  32. @ Virgin: You didn't hun! I found your intervention very funny!! I guess they are (guys) just intimidated!! loll :)

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  33. Well, I did my quota yesterday! Three smiles for three strangers. I have to confess I took the easy route to this - they were all very attractive young ladies. Hhe reaction was good, I didn't get slapped.
    By the way, I've got one more smile type, how about a "Austin Powers 'Yeah baby!' smile" ?
    Not that I would ever use that, of course, just hypothetical.

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  34. Well a lesson from a virgin is not an all appealing offer Virgin, is it? :)

    Formosa hey I am glad you're applying the smile-it-forward, do you think Koreans are reading my blog?

    I wonder if my movement has reached Punjab and downunder yet! Or New zealand, to the person reading my blog from New Zealand please get us some feedback!

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  35. Can't say for sure if they are following you or not. I want you to have fans here, don't want to be lonely.
    I've put up a sign in my flat window saying "DZ-Chick Rules!" but I live on the 14th floor so not sure how effective that is. On the other hand they may simply think I made a spelling mistake and believe I'm trying to announce something about a young girl who drools.

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  36. Ha ha yeah thx for the "bill board" Formosa, sm sure it's very effectif
    Damn South Korea sounds like an untapped source ... but unless I am writing about fashion I wont make it with Koreans, or is that a major stereotype?

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  37. Um, no, I don't think so. Actually that's a pretty accurate observation. But will 'Dilemma's of a Single Algerian Fashion Diva' make the cut with your current fans?

    I did some more smiling today on the underground. Man does that work well ! Especially a big toothy grin to the woman I'm about to sit beside on the super crowded seats. Also tried it in a meeting today. I think it created a lot of suspicion. Smiles back were definitely of the type 'wtf is wrong with that guy?' But I won (that's what the outcome of meetings is supposed to be isn't it? Determining an winner? ) and so its good.

    By the way, how did you get hold of that picture of my twin brother?

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  38. Yeah, smiling is good.
    I was a non-smiling person, I heard a lot comments like: "wachbik mechanfa " or "wachbiki za3fana" or better "wallah ma yestahal". But now I smile even to myself when no one is around.

    Nour.

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  39. oh fo shizzzze. buh i cud defaniteleh teach yoz a lesson to loosen up, if u'd forgave the pun.

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  40. Oy Virgin.....loosen up? who dear? me dear?

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  41. Formosa ... False modesty! Not your style :)
    But dilemmas of a fashionista is not mine either ha!

    Nour smile all you like just watch those lines! You'll look my age before you know it! I recommend crème de la mer ;)

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