Today is World Smile Day, a “holiday” started by Harvey Ball, the artist behind the smiley face in attempt to have one day where his iconic creation “knows no politics, no geography and no religion.”
As I’ve written here in the past, a smile is quite possibly the easiest and best way to give.
Think about how someone, anyone, has lifted you up by simply making you smile right when you needed it.
Think about how someone else’s smile has made you feel that much happier.
Think about how it feels when you are thinking of something or someone and just can’t help but smile.
Think about how your smile may affect someone else’s day, even if you don’t realize it.
Smiling’s pretty damn good for the soul. We need to do it more often.
So how can you celebrate World Smile Day? Harvey Ball would want you to go out and do an act of kindness (my first giving model in Simple Giving, by the way). It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Smiling at everyone you walk by during the day could do the trick.
If you want to do something more elaborate, here are a few suggested activities from the World Smile Day website:
- World’s largest human Smiley face
- Ballon releases bearing WSD messages
- Choral performances
- A Hot Air ballon event
- Sidewalk chalk activities
- College acapella concerts
- Recognizing student WSD Ambassadors
- Circus performers and and elephants
- Pie eating contest (editor’s note: not a big fan of this one)
- Where’s Smiley contest
- Selfies with smiley masks
- Visiting nursing homes
- Hospital events
- Good deeds
- Meals for homeless
- Sending smile cards/ecards
- Delivering smile certificates
- Recognizing those who do good deeds in schools
- Smiley/WSD themed coloring un-competitions
- Smiley flash mob
🙂
