What’s It All About?

I was riding in the car one day when the first line of the book popped into my head. That seems to be how most stories I make start.

This story is about how one simple gesture can have great effects on the larger world. It starts with the simple act of Danny coming down from the tree to change Franny’s Frown into a smile. From there the smile is passed from person to person. The act moves throughout the town. By the end of the story, it has moved a great distance.

Lessons for Children

The idea of how your actions affect others is an extremely important lesson. You can help children understand that smiles can be passed as easily as frowns can be passed. Help them understand what types of actions can pass on smiles, such as sharing and playing nicely with others. Help them understand they types of actions that can make others unhappy, such as fighting and bullying.

Lessons for Adults

We often forget how much our actions can affect our children. Imagine this, you don’t sleep well and wake up grumpy. You scold your children for silly reasons. They are now grumpy. They take that grumpiness to school. You better bet they are going to pass that to at least one other person in the process.

This doesn’t just apply to the things we pass on to the people we know. Adult often need to be reminded of some of the most basic lessons. It’s one thing to treat the people you know with respect, but how do you treat the people you don’t know? What do you say to the busy employee who accidentally forgot to omit the tomato from your sandwich? Do you yell and degrade them for their mistake. Do you make fun of people you see on television? How do you treat the customer service representative you speak with on the phone? As someone who has done plenty of time in customer service, I know that there are a lot of adults out there who could use a lesson on passing on positivity.

Have you ever seen a child who suddenly says something terrible, and you don’t know where they heard it. Have you seen them act aggressively when someone does something wrong? Have you seen them make fun of someone, even though you talk to them about not bullying? Where do they get it from? Was it from you and the actions you don’t realize you are passing on? Are you a good role model to children? It does matter, it moves through the world.

Ideas for a Spreading Smiles!

How you act and how you treat others affects the world around you. The way you treat that employee at the store may make them treat the next customer poorly. Now the next customer may be in a bad mood and pass it on. Make it your goal to pass on positivity! Here are some ideas for making others smile.

Take a Smile Trip!

Take an opportunity to practice passing smiles while you are out and about. Make it a game! You can take a walk through your neighborhood and count how many people you can make smile. This is an activity you can do and still keep any distance you may need to stay safe. Don’t worry, you can still play this game, even if you are wearing a mask. Instead of counting smiles, you can count the amount of people you get to wave, or how many people you get to say “hello” back to you. There are also some, rather creepy looking, masks with clear panels that can help!

Pass the Positivity!

Have you ever stopped a stranger to compliment them? If you haven’t, I recommend it! There is nothing better than making a stranger smile! Maybe you tell the cashier at the grocery store that you like their bracelet. Maybe you compliment a person’s tattoo. I am constantly impressed by the things tattoo artists can accomplish. It sounds corny and silly, but it can really make someone’s day to take the time to tell them something nice about themselves.

Write Letters!

It may not be the right time to go out, but you can pass positivity right from the safety of your home! There are places that allow you to write to people across the country, to senior citizens, to those serving in the military, and many more. Some of them even write back, a great way to both give and receive positivity.

In Conclusion

We all make decisions on how to act each day. Even though we are small, in the grand scheme of the world, a single act can travel around the globe. Even a small act that only affects one person is valuable. Pay attention to the little things you may being doing during the day, and how they may affect others. What will you choose to pass out into the world?