What A Smile Does

In a bid to re-vamp my writing and spread some joy, I decided to post something from way back when I was in school. Don't worry I'll spare you the promises to write often. I only hope y'all can forgive me.

 WHAT A SMILE DOES

It was just another day when I wake up; take a moment to gather myself, before my itinerary for the day reveals itself to me. As a student, my agenda wasn’t exactly exciting. It included the same old stuff repeated over and over again except for days when good gist comes along, or a fight happens, or some school drama that’s just thrilling enough to make you feel like there was more to life as a student. There was no bounce in my composure that day, no excitement… no oomph. As I walked down to school, lots of thoughts evaded my mind; things I had to do, things I had given up on doing, things that I had done that went wrong and things I needed to do to fix them. It was so obvious I was going to be on my stoic/uninterested/unsmiling mood.

I was just hoping my mood wouldn’t get any worse than it already was when I noticed a mini-van slowly driving towards me in an effort to reduce the effect of the bumps the rough road created. I looked into the car and saw a Lebanese man and a woman who appeared to be his wife, and in the back seat; two little girls. The older one was about five, had her hair tied in buns, and I could see the braces on her teeth because she was waving and smiling. It took a moment before I realised she was waving and smiling at me and instinctively I smiled and waved back. Her reaction to my response was funny; she bounced repeatedly on the car seat; laughing and gave another wave before they drove farther out of sight. I realised in less than a minute that my mood had changed from indifferent to happy all because of a tiny pretty girl’s smile. She might have been clueless but she had just made one more person happy, which goes to say that a smile is contagious.

A smile is a depiction of happiness; everything about it screams joy.  Generally a smile signifies acceptance especially when it comes with a greeting. It is a basic and instinctive reaction to pleasure, humour, beauty, fantasy, gifts, art and another smile. It is so basic that even a baby before learning speech or signs knows how to smile to pleasing sights. A smile might not be the answer to a problem but it sure makes one look more beautiful.  Some study uncovered that a smile can trick ones brain into believing one is happy. Even when you fake it, if you smile often enough, you end up rewiring your brain to make positive patterns more often than it does negative ones. So do not hesitate to smile even when it is faked; apparently it does no harm but good to the receiver and the giver.  Another up-side is that people who smile a lot appear to be more likeable, courteous and competent. Therefore, it is advisable to smile at people you wish to do business with or even for; like your boss.

So what makes you smile? Is it a happy child; like me, or a dog playing fetch, two people bumping into each other, the sunset, a rainbow, a dance, a speech, a friend, a drama, flowers or a hug? Whatever rows your boat, be sure to keep a mental picture of it so that you can keep that smile up every day. A few popular personalities gave their definitions and opinions about a smile; Phyllis Diller says a smile is a curve that sets everything straight. Douglas Horton says it is free therapy. Denise Waitley says “a smile is the light in your window that tells others that there is a caring, sharing person inside. You may wonder why you have to care for the next person; why you have to make someone else happy, but need I remind you what goes around truly come around and we can’t deny the need to be happy. It is a basic necessity that people fail to mention after food, clothing and shelter. Conclusively, Leo Buscaglia offers a general sight of this when he say, “ too often we under estimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

 

 

VANITY

I am angered.
The economy is worse than when i went to bed last night.
It is a nightmare. it's like we are making all the efforts to survive and someone somewhere is testing our limit.
Like, they whisper "let's see how much they can stand" and "if they could survive that... What about this?" and they set their mechanics to play and watch on their large screens how we gnash and lament and eventually shove it off to continue; adjusting yet again after barely getting used to the earlier condition.
At intervals they burst out in laughter when two young boys, in the bid to let out all that bottled -up frustration, decide to burst bottles in a duel.
Or a girl finally succumbs to the advances of an old senator.
They follow their laughter with words like "i told you, all of them are the same." or " i really thought she would hold off another week or so. so fast? see sharp babe o!"
In all this turmoil, we go ahead and blame these incidents on demons and evil spirits and flock to church so our pastor can wave them off.
Our pastors who see the situation we live in and swear to themselves never to go back to where they started or suffer with the masses, as so increase the number of offerings we dance to the altar to offer.
they continuously insist that the reason we suffer is because we have failed to activate God's intervention in our lives which can only come through tithe offerings.
We therefore, sway our hips with exaggerated smiles on our faces as we invest more and more in the life of the pastor, momentarily forgetting what that tithe could do in the daily lives of our families; but it is okay because God would triple and quadruple it.
I'd believe that if the church used these money right; fed the hungry, clothed the naked, healed the sick and harboured the homeless.
But NO...all that money goes to erecting more unnecessary structures, buying cars and gadgets, helicopters and private jets; liabilities that scream the same VANITY that the bibles, they so lovingly hold to their chest, preach against.

not a stiff in sight

I need batteries for my toy so it goes buzz,

Not just a pack, need a carton batteries.

Purchasing better toy is wise too;

One of those shaped and textured

Like the bulge they are meant to represent.

Better still em grand toy machines,

Bet one could save for that;

They work you up real good

Preventing muscle growth in dominant hand

Or need for an assistant.

Another thought; Chicas should be let in

They provide warmth toys can’t

On a plus, the added symphony of their screams.

My name on their lips,

The beautiful wave it sends drizzling through ny nerves

Intensifying my motion to please.

Ain’t nothing more melodious

A female’s utterance in pleasure.

Ahha! And we play my toys too.

 

THE PROBLEM, OUR SOLUTION

I see the problem, I see the direction but I do not see a solution…yet.

Is there a legal system in our country? We talk about corruption being the problem and that even those in the legal system are themselves corrupt and without shame for destroying the same rules they were sworn in to protect. If this is the case, then where do we begin? Can there be a solution to a man’s compromised mind? It’s just like asking if there is a cure to madness. Some people say there isn’t a cure but it can be managed, but BY WHO in this case? Another man who will most probably get corrupt while managing the corruption? Are we totally consumed in this filth? Do we have to send for the white man again to come direct us? Maybe the female politician, ADUNI OLUWOLE was right after all about our gaining independence too early. Or do we invite the military to force us to do the right thing on the condition of death?

And as things get worse so are the churches increasing in number, more divisions, more pastors and vision seers. WHO CHECKS WHO? For the institutions set up to help the people now take from the people. The pyramid of wealth keeps getting fuller at the bottom and thinner at the top. Desperation sets in; the insurgents are killing and they aren’t killing the bourgeoisie for they are not found in the common markets, churches and mosques. It is the common man like you and I struggling to get the cheapest price for items in the busy market, you and I who walk to the churches and mosques so as to look up to God/Allah for some certain favour, probably for a miracle and change in present status.

A lot of us relax and go about our daily chores thinking it won’t affect us if we just keep doing what we are doing. We forget that we are a whole body as a nation. Unlike the wound in the toe which the rest of the body feels for some time but finally heals, what we are experiencing now is a VIRUS. Yes, it only started in one part but what viruses do when unchecked is spread through the whole body till the body is rendered useless. I don’t want Nigeria to be useless, because I AM NIGERIAN; not female or Igbo or educated or Christian but, first, NIGERIAN. WE ARE ALREADY TOGETHER; we might as well try to be UNITED. You think it doesn’t change much but try being less judgmental of people because of their gender, tribe, religion or mental capacity and watch how the good virus spreads. It always begins with YOU. No political party can save us, only COMPASSION can.