Run
I have been noticing lately that when people run they are always laughing or smiling. I guess there's a chemical reaction that happens in the release of endorphines but I think there is more. I think there is a release of all other obsatcles when you run. You focus on the running itself. The beating of your feet on the grass or concrete. The pulse chiming of your heart and your hands. The sweat on the back of your neck. The forgotfulness of all else that's wrong.
Now this example is only applicable to those running to catch a bus, cross the street quickly, catch a fleeing cat, and it is also contingent upon an already optimistic disposition. We have all seen the fear runner, the desperation runner, the agony runner. But you don't see sad people running. You don't see angry people running. You don't see lazy people running. You don't see bored people running.
You see the nature of our own self come out when you take a few quick little hoppity steps across an intersection to fetch a bouncing ball or through a sprinkler set yard to chase an escaping dog or down two flights of stairs to stop a southbound train. Now you may be thinking that after I miss the train, catch the dog, or capture the ball I am then angry or frustrated or scared. But, that's not the emotion I'm after. I'm after those 10 seconds when your steps are light, your hair is bouncing, and you are once again a child running with your pack of friends; tireless, worry free, optimistic, and innocent.
This is the smile I see. This is the ten year old we all were. This is the love that I see. This is the child we should all be for a few minutes a day. Just try it and trust me. Hop up two stairs at a time or run really fast around a corner like someone is chasing you. Do something to feel your heart beating. Do something to get those scientist talking about endorphines rushing. Do something to make you smile like a child.