Essay/Term paper: Smile come on its free

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Research Papers

Smile...Come on...It"s Free !!!

"A SMILE costs nothing, but gives much. It enriches those who receive, without making poorer those who give. It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None is so rich or mighty that he can get along without it, and none is so poor but that he can be made rich by it. A smile creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in business, and is the countersign of friendship. It brings rest to the weary, cheer to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and is nature's best antidote for trouble. Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is of no value to anyone until it is given away. Some people are too tired to give you a smile. Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give."

-- based on the writings of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch

A smile is such a precious thing. So often used that we take it for granted. Look around; smiles are everywhere. From the most depressing depths of poverty to the fenced in lives of the wealthy, we all find something to smile about. A smile helps us display our feelings to the world. Feelings of love, joy, or just pure uncensored laughter; all put on display with a smile. The darkest of days; brightened by a simple "flexing" of seventeen muscle in the mouth. Smiles are crooked teeth, perfect teeth and everything in between. Rich or poor, black or white, boy or girl, everyone deserves a smile. Smiles all convey some type of emotion that is tangible and real. A joy that can be felt and almost held. A smile is as warm as an embrace but as simple as a sunrise. A flood of unbelievable emotion can come crashing down on you just from a simple curl of the lip.
Smiles can be one of the most romantic things in the world. A communication without words. An understanding of emotions and character. Even a smile of understanding gives you some of the greatest pleasures that can be imaginable. A smile reflects a feeling that is so universally understood that it is too hard to define. It is soft, knowing and as beautiful as a butterfly. A smile that is shared between lovers can be as calming as a lake or as exciting as a shooting star. The thought of it can make you complete or leave you desperately wanting. There is no greater feeling in this world than seeing a smile after a longing kiss and knowing that you can spread joy to so many people with such a simple gesture. You lose nothing, save maybe half a calorie but you gain a world of knowledge and understanding. Smiles complete you and make you feel whole. Without smiles there is nothing in life to look forward to.
A smile is like a time machine. It can bring you back to the days of your childhood, like the time your mom gave you ice cream when you fell off your bike and scrapped your knee. Remembering how the sun shone on your face and filled your soul with warmth and love. Laughing as you ate the cone from the bottom up while rivers of ice cream flowed down your face. Or the time at summer camp where you met your first love. It will fill you with so much raw emotion that you just wanna scream out to the world that life is good. Sometimes a smile from a close friend will make you break down and cry or just burst out into hysterical laughter. Smiles are contagious. They make a complete stranger sitting next to you want to smile. Just try it some time, smile at a stranger and see the reaction you get. Remember, some of the greatest of friends were once strangers that shared a smile.
Smiles can make your worst imaginable day into something that is bearable. It is a need to communicate understanding and sympathy. Words over a telephone line, no matter how eloquent and beautiful cannot convey the same feelings as a honest smile. There is nothing that can compare to actually seeing a smile, knowing that someone understands you and all you pain. Its that tingly feeling that you get up and down your spine when you receive a smile that makes you want to return that feeling tenfold. It will mend deep emotional scars and give hope to the desperate. It is the single greatest gift that can be given and the purest form of joy that can be expressed.
Why do you think that people smile when they have their photo taken? Its to capture a happy moment. A moment that can be looked back upon during a day of hopelessness and despair so that you can forget your worries. A way of saying, "Hey, that was one of the best days in my life!". Its a way to block out all the negatives and reflect on all the positives. An extension of the soul that is so easy, so right and so pure that anyone can do it and no one can deny it.
There we were, three of the best friends that God had ever slapped together for some unknown reason. Standing in a darkened room, trying to grasp the signifigance of the moment but coming up short. The love that we had for each other rivaled that of a mother for a child. The futures we had created for ourselves was just a step ahead while we were left, clinging to the past. Graduation, 1995, we finally did it! All our hard work and dedication finally paid off. What we were waiting for for twelve long years was just around the corner. A dream waiting to be realized while unbeknownst to us a bright future awaited. Then it happened ... a flash in the darkened room like a bright light from a lightning storm. There we posed, friends for life, as flashbulbs went off. Captured on film and frozen in time, one of the happiest days in our lives.
The smiles that we displayed were that of the happiest moment that we had ever experienced. The good times and the bad times all came flooding back to us, consumating into a single experience.