Why do I always smile?

This post is dedicated to my grandmother who passed away 2 days ago

Ever so often I get this compliment.. “I always see you smiling”. I never thought about it much. Now that I think about it, I realize that it is not something I do consciously. It is totally involuntary, just like my breathing. And I think it comes from my attitude towards life, ever optimistic, always positive. And where did I get this attitude from? I give that credit to my wonderful family. And I want to thank God for sending me into this wonderful family and giving me this great life. I don’t remember anyone from my family explicitly telling me to have an optimistic outlook. But each member through example, through the way they have lived their lives, has left a lasting impact. That’s what has shaped me.

I would particularly like to mention my grandparents. Never ever have I seen them grumpy or complaining or fretting about things. My wonderful grandma who passed away this Sunday, was a tough old woman, a survivor. She fought off cancer and a small heart attack a few years back. She was 84, but had so much zest for life. Although in the past few years she couldn’t travel much, she loved to meet people and loved to have people come over to our place. Without doubt she has been one of the strong links that has kept us close to our extended family of multitude of cousins. I know she had been in pain and discomfort many times during her illnesses. But I never heard her complain too much. When I had an accident, my grandma was in the same hospital where I was, recovering after her cancer surgery. I was supposed to meet her that evening, but instead she came to my room to meet me and cheer me up. She said that she had a great life with great people around her and thanked God for it.

With such positivity in the family, it is natural for me to turn out the way I have as a person. Just like my family, I have some really wonderful friends always around me. It is comforting to know that they will always be there through good times and bad. God has been kind to me and there is no reason to complain about anything. So the least I can do to pay him back is to make sure people around me stay happy. I cannot change things in their lives but in tough times, if I can give them a few moments of happiness, some fits of laughter or just a simple soothing smile, I am sure I will make a positive difference.

While I was walking today along the river, I thought of a life mantra for myself… “Share your joys and others’ sorrows”. Now I am not a superhuman, so God forbid, there could be times when I would burden my close ones with my sorrows. But if I can help it, a smile is all that you would see J