Laughter and Smiling

I believe in laughing and smiling. I believe in the laugh that makes your stomach hurt, the laugh that makes you cry and the laugh that makes you fall to the ground. Smiling is a powerful thing in this world. A smile is contagious and it makes you feel good. A small gesture like a smile can go a long way. Smiling can make your day better along with someone else’s.

Over the summer I had the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica to do some volunteer work with a group of soccer players. We delivered groceries to some of the poorest places in Costa Rica. I had been playing with a soccer ball in the street when we were delivering. I came across a little boy sitting on the curb who didn’t look happy. I walked up to him and handed him my ball. He looked up at me and smiled. I played with him for about a half an hour as we laughed and smiled. As I left him I looked back and waved, he smiled back, and I could tell he was very happy. No words were exchanged during that time, just smiles. I felt good and figured out that even how sad he may have been a smile had changed his day. It’s true that a good laugh and a smile can make you look at the world in a different way and it can bring people from different worlds to the same place.

Laughing can make the worst days float right away. My friend Amanda and I find every second to laugh at something even if it’s as dumb as making a funny face. We laugh until we cry. Laughing just makes you feel good. It refreshes you and makes your mind forget about any problems that you have. Laughing is the by far the best medicine. My family eats dinner together almost every night. The table is always full of laughter, Laughter brings the family together. At holidays like Christmas there is never a dull moment. There’s always something to laugh about like my brothers Maurice and Richard making a joke about my parents, and my cousin Tommy doing something stupid. Laughing is the cure, it makes you feel great and everyone does it.

I can’t stand when people walk around with a sad face on. It’s like they think it will take too much effort to smile. People are lost in their own lives and are in their own little realities. We need to step back and relax and learn to smile. I love when you’re out somewhere and a random person smiles at you, you can’t help but smile back. It’s so contagious and it makes you feel good to see someone smile at you.

We all need to laugh more, it makes the day better. We also need to smile every single moment we can. I believe in laughing and smiling, it’s the key to life.