spreadyoursmile

“But history is so boring”, her cousin cried out. 

“It’s not, it can be interesting”, Judith countered.

“Well, do you want to do my history homework for me then?”

“I’ll help you with it”.

Judith tried to explain to her cousin why seemingly obscure events of the past actually mattered a great deal. 

“We learn from history not to repeat the mistakes of our past”.

“But people still make lots of the same mistakes today”, her cousin pointed out.

Judith sighed. 

“Yes, you’re right. But we can still choose to try again and learn from those mistakes. And there’s so many inspiring people who did just that”.

Dear you,

Recently, in the UK, the platinum jubilee of the Queen’s reign was celebrated in spectacular fashion. 

We are all aware of the traditions of celebrating anniversaries in our personal life and more momentous occasions as a country or even globally.

But, what is the significance of this? What is the point of looking at things that happened so long ago? 

As human beings, we are capable of both good and evil and this has been highlighted throughout history. 

The progress and discoveries humanity has made over the years have been remarkable. There is a lot to be learnt from our predecessors. 

There are also many areas where improvement is required. Our knowledge of some things such as the human impact on nature and climate is always evolving. 

It is up to us to learn from both the good and bad in our history. We learn how we can achieve many things through hard work and perseverance. But we are also made aware of how much more we need to progress and develop as humans. 

Inspirational figures and events from history can inspire us. 

And who knows, our actions may go down in history and be looked at by the future generations. Thus telling us how important it really can be. 

Thank you for reading. And don’t forget, spread your smile 😊

Why do we only show one side of ourselves? 

This is something Judith has often wondered, time and time again. 

There were so many people in who seemed confident, self – assured and comfortable with life. 

But when she had gotten to know these people better, she realised how many insecurities and issues they battled with daily. 

Judith wished more people would be “real”.

She had to admit that she herself would not find it comfortable sharing personal things with strangers. 

However, she felt that it would be helpful if people talked more openly about feeling sad or insecure. This would normalise these emotions and reassure people that: Yes, we’re all human and this is part of that.

Dear you,

“Vulnerability” is a word with many connotations and most of them are probably negative. 

We all experience pain and hurt which have been caused by others and this can affect our ability to be open with others. 

However, if we only show one side of ourselves, we are not being our true authentic self. 

Sometimes, it can be tempting to think that others have their life all sorted out. But this is most likely, an illusion.

I struggle. You struggle. We all struggle.

There’s no shame in saying that and being honest.

In fact, accepting that is the first step to dealing with it better. It is better than denying it, ignoring it or taking it out on others.

I hope we can all try and be more ‘real’ and honest with ourselves and others.

Thank you for reading. And don’t forget, spread your smile 😊

Judith was a planner and an organiser. She had always considered this an asset but lately, she wasn’t so sure. 

Her friend Ingrid was the same but she took it to a greater level. Her daily planner meticulously planned out every hour to the dot. 

Judith had laughed out loud when she saw that Ingrid had assigned exactly 15 minutes in the evening to talk to each member of her family.

Everything was planned.

But everything was also random because life was full of unexpected changes and surprises.

Sometimes, things took a lot longer than planned or they didn’t happen at all. When this was the case, Judith immediately felt irritated and flustered.

This then affected her all day and had an impact on other things. 

She wanted to be more flexible. She liked having a plan but she also needed to be appreciate the surprises and mishaps of each new day.

Dear you,

You may be like Judith and Ingrid who like to plan and organise. Or you may be the total opposite and take things as they come.

However, just like many things in life, what is required is a healthy balance.

If you don’t organise your life in any way, then it can be very hard to keep up with appointments and get things done. But if you plan too much, you may get frustrated when life doesn’t match up to your expectations. 

Things don’t always go according to plan and that is inevitable in life. But this doesn’t always have to be a negative experience. 

It is sometimes in unexpected situations that you meet a new friend. It might be after many delays and setbacks that you finally achieve our goal and having overcome struggles makes you appreciate everything more. 

It’s easy to get annoyed when our day isn’t going the way we want it to. But it’s more worthwhile to look beyond the minor inconveniences and be open.

Because chances are, life has something to teach us.

Thank you for reading. And don’t forget, spread your smile 😊

Judith was at a children’s birthday party. 

Even though things were loud and hectic, the atmosphere was joyful. 

When photographs were taken, she noticed how all the children had huge, beaming smiles on their faces.

The adults tried to smile but didn’t seem to be doing a good job of it. 

“When did we stop smiling like we used to when we were kids?”, someone asked beside her. 

Judith reflected on this. She realised that children in general smiled and laughed a lot more than adults did. 

Obviously, life changed in a lot of ways as you aged but surely there were still plenty of reasons to smile. 

She made a conscious effort to smile more and hopefully others around her would follow. 

Dear you,

If you’re new to the blog, you may be wondering why it is called ‘spread your smile’. 

One of the main goals of me starting this blog was to make people smile. I’ve tried to write about things in a way that promotes positivity. 

Smiling is something most of us may forget about when we get too consumed by our daily life. 

However, the power of a smile is immense.

Did you know that research has shown that smiling relieves stress, elevates our mood and even helps you live longer? Smiling can also boost our immune system, lower blood pressure and reduce pain by triggering the release of different hormones in the body. 

Those are all personal benefits. Furthermore, your smile can have a big impact on the people around you. 

Our brain interprets other people’s facial expressions and may even mimic them unconsciously. If you smile at someone, that is sure to convey a positive message even in a difficult circumstance. 

Smiling and positivity both of which I’m trying to promote on my blog are linked.

Smile. Now try to think of something negative without losing that smile. That’s hard to do. 

Smiling can actually influence your feelings of positivity even though initially it may be forced. The smile sends a positive message to the brain and also to the rest of your body. 

Thank you for reading. And don’t forget, spread your smile 😊

Judith had grown up learning the value of money but moreover, the value of generosity. 

There was a collection for a fundraiser going around at work. 

“How much should I give?”, her co- worker Isla whispered.

“However much you can”, she shrugged.

“Well… Money for my bills are due this week and I need to pay for petrol, repairs for my car, new fridge, saving up for a holiday”… 

She watched as Isla listed all her financial needs and concerns. She seemed to be calculating very seriously how much or actually how little she could afford to give.

Her attention was caught by another colleague who approached the collection. He took his purse out, gathered all the money in there and emptied it into the collection.

“I’ll give everything I have. After all, what’s the point of holding onto it when there are others who need it more?”, he asked with a smile.

Judith smiled back in admiration. 

Dear you,

The world isn’t a fair place. If someone has more of something, they don’t necessarily give more of it to others.

Humans have a tendency to be selfish or naturally put their own needs before others. 

But generosity doesn’t have to cost anything, all it requires is a willing heart. 

If we hold onto our needs and requirements in life, we may never find any money spare to give others. After all, prices and bills are increasing, there’s always something that needs repairing or replacing.

And if we’re honest, we all have way more than we could ever need. But we’re left wanting something newer and better. 

We can easily get trapped into greed and consumerism if we stay ignorant of the needs of others. 

However, there’s so many ways we be generous to those around us if only we remain open to these opportunities. This doesn’t just have to be money. You can be generous with your time, your talents and your very presence. 

And once you start giving to others, you realise that you gain more from it than you could ever lose.

Thank you for reading. And don’t forget, spread your smile 😊

Judith’s phone pinged with a photo from her ‘memories’. 4 years ago today, it read. 

These notifications popped up and when they did, she was transported back to her past in an instant. 

Sometimes, the memory from the photo was so vivid and strong that it evoked an emotional reaction. Other times, she struggled to remember any details.

Her phone’s “memories” only went back a few years but then there were things around her that reminded her of things from decades ago. 

She found herself forgetting many things of the past – good and bad. 

This caused her to wonder. Was it better to remember or was it better to forget? 

Should she find ways to document her life continuously or just live in the moment? 

How important was her past and how much important was her future?

Dear you,

As we have all probably heard, it is not good to dwell on the past too much. After all, we have no control over it and what’s been done is done. 

However, we cannot deny that the past has shaped who we are today. Even from our very early years, our experiences influenced our way of thinking and has led to the person we are.

Ideally, we need to find a balance. We don’t want to be consumed by our past and live in resentment or bitterness of any kind. However, we need to hold on to the lessons we learnt from our past mistakes, the ideals that our parents taught us, the loyal friends who have persevered through life with us. 

Especially at this time, in the wake of the pandemic, let us not forget the lessons we learnt. The importance of kindness and unity. The need to slow down and appreciate the precious moments of life. 

And very importantly, that there is always hope ahead and never to give up even in the most difficult circumstances.

Thank you for reading. And don’t forget, spread your smile 😊

Dear you,

Once upon a time, or more specifically, around three years ago, this blog was created. There was so much support and encouragement right from the start. 

The blog has been a collection mainly focused around Judith. Each post starts with a fictional account relating to Judith’s life and then a non-fictional reflection based on it. This mix of fiction and non-fiction has been something that’s been very interesting to explore.

Many topics have been written about ranging from self-worth, racism to faith, hope and much more. Although initially the blog was focused on Judith, it then branched out to showcase other writing projects of mine.

This has included various articles about my Christian faith in magazines, a newspaper and other websites. It was also a privilege and honour to share with everyone my short story that got published in an anthology!

Whilst all this was being posted, the world around us was changed forevermore. The pandemic hit around a year into the blog and I found more time for my writing which was great. There have been a few posts relating to lockdown and lessons learnt from it.

I want to say two important words – THANK YOU and HOPE. 

The thank you is for you reading this. Thank you for supporting my blog. If you’ve been here from the start, thank you for the loyalty. If you’re new, thank you for choosing to give it a try. I often get feedback that the posts are relatable and I hope the posts have had a positive impact in some way. 

The word HOPE is to encompass what’s happened here. Even though the past three years have contained many challenges, this blog has kept going weekly. There were many times when I struggled to find ideas to write about or felt discouraged about my writing but I was able to keep going.

Whatever situation you may be facing today, I encourage you to keep going and not give up!

Thank you for reading. And don’t forget, spread your smile 😊

https://eng.kairos.global/?p=11583

Judith didn’t like the cold. Or the wind or the rain or the dark.

Unfortunately for her, she lived in a country where the winters could be bitterly cold and the sun seemed to disappear completely.

However, having endured this cycle of seasons for many years, she realised she had learnt a lot from winter.

Winter was difficult. But without it, she wouldn’t appreciate the spring and the summer that followed.

Winter was cold. But she was extremely fortunate to have a warm home, clothes and heating when many slept on the street.

Winter was dark. But the days started lengthening afterwards and then she could appreciate the sun rather than take it for granted.

For her, winter was a tough season in life. But as with many things in her life, it taught her some valuable lessons. No experience in life is wasted if only we are open to what it teaches us.

Dear you,

The example of winter used here can be a metaphor for many other struggles we face in life.

The changing of the seasons seemed like an apt example as we have stepped into spring here in the United Kingdom.

Just like winter is surely followed by spring, difficulties in our life can often be followed by periods of growth and progress.

None of us like putting up with harsh weather conditions. Yet there’s always beauty in nature to appreciate.

The colours of the sunset in the winter sky range from blue to pink and is a spectacle to behold. Snow covered houses and trees can be astonishing to witness. The resilience of flowers and trees to make it through to spring is another phenomenon.

Now that winter is over, I can see much more clearly see what I’ve learnt from it and how there is hope. But when you’re in the midst of it, everything can seem difficult.

This is why it’s always good to reflect on things of the past and remind ourselves of the lessons we’ve learnt. So that when the next winter comes around, we can see it as something we can learn from and not just complain about.

Thank you for reading. And don’t forget, spread your smile 😊

Judith had watched many of her friends become mothers recently. 

They talked of getting no sleep, no time to themselves, no space to even think. But despite all this, she marvelled at their journey of motherhood.

Being a mother naturally takes a person out of focusing on themselves and willing to give themselves fully to care for another. 

From watching mothers and children over the years, Judith knew there were different types of mothers. Some were strict, some preferred a relaxed approach, some were overly worried or overprotective. 

They all made mistakes as they were only human and sometimes this deeply hurt the relationship between mother and child. 

But when it comes down to it, a mother’s love is always there. It is unconditional in the deepest sense of the word. 

Judith counted herself extremely blessed to have a loving mother and other female role models. And now she felt blessed to witness her friends maturing into wonderful mothers.

Dear you,

A mother’s love is one of our earliest experiences on earth. And although most things change as we grow older, a mother’s love always stays with us. 

It is difficult to fully describe how important the role of a mother is. Most of us would feel lost without our mothers’ guidance and support. As we grow older, we realise we’ll always need them. 

Just like all human relationships, one between a mother and child can encounter many difficulties. However, good communication and understanding can help a lot. 

A home is not a home without a mother’s presence and constant efforts. They do so much and get nothing in return. A mother’s love knows no bounds.

I hope this Mother’s Day, you’re able to show your mother how much you appreciate her. I’m very fortunate to have an amazing mother who I hope to cherish for a long time to come. 

Thank you for reading. And don’t forget, spread your smile 🙂