Thankful Thursday

Good Morning All,

It is time for this week's Thankful Thursday. I missed last week :(. Getting used to the new work schedule threw me off a bit last week but I am back. I hope you all have been having a great week and have an even better weekend. 

These last two weeks have been interesting. I have always been a people watcher and work is an excellent place to observe people. The dynamics are intriguing and the people are all unique. One thing that I am loving about this job is that there is never an "I have nothing to do" moment. There is always something to do! Even if done with your assigned duties, you can help others. And those that know me know I am a helper...lol.(Sometimes to a fault), but it keeps me busy. However, everyone that has ever worked know that not everyone is hearts and flowers and you have to learn to work with people that have different characteristic even if they are negative. That goes into my thankfuls.

1. I am thankful for patience. Even as a child I was a people watcher. I would just sit back, be quiet, and people tend to forget you are in the room. You learn a lot about a person when they feel you are not paying attention, but this helps you to identify certain characteristic and use that knowledge to better interact with them in a positive way. I spent all of the last two weeks doing just that at work and now am finally starting to talk and interact with coworkers. Everyone has positive attributes, some more than others, as in every situation but when you learn what makes them "tick" you can avoid unnecessary unpleasantness. One thing about trying to "get along" with everyone though is to do it without letting them step all over you. This is something I will have to figure a way through but with patience it will be done.

2. I am thankful for my foot massager! LOL! I know, I know, that sounds so silly but "my dogs have been barking" and I cannot wait to soak my feet in the massager for some relief!

3. On a more serious note, I am thankful for my husband. He has been so great helping us transition and he is doing everything he can to help me keep the house running smoothly. It has not been ideal but it is working and will get even better with time. I really appreciate you babe! I love you.

So, what thankfuls do you all have this week? No matter how simple or grand it may be it is still worth smiling about. That reminded me, I was told at work that, "You are always smiling, why are you always smiling?" I replied, "Why not? Didn't it make you smile back at me?" They said, "Yes." I ended with, "And that smile just made my night! You have a great smile." Later that night, I caught that same person smiling at customers and coworkers the rest of the night! Isn't it funny how contagious a smile can be and it makes the giver and recipient feel good. 

I found some interesting facts about smiling from this article:

1. Forcing yourself to smile can boost your mood: Psychologists have found that even if you’re in bad mood, you can instantly lift your spirits by forcing yourself to smile.
2. It boosts your immune system: Smiling really can improve your physical health, too. Your body is more relaxed when you smile, which contributes to good health and a stronger immune system.
3. Smiles are contagious: It’s not just a saying: smiling really is contagious, scientists say. In a study conducted in Sweden, people had difficulty frowning when they looked at other subjects who were smiling, and their muscles twitched into smiles all on their own.
4. Smiles Relieve Stress: Your body immediately releases endorphins when you smile, even when you force it. This sudden change in mood will help you feel better and release stress.
5. It’s easier to smile than to frown: Scientists have discovered that your body has to work harder and use more muscles to frown than it does to smile.
6. It’s a universal sign of happiness: While hand shakes, hugs, and bows all have varying meanings across cultures, smiling is known around the world and in all cultures as a sign of happiness and acceptance.
7. We still smile at work: While we smile less at work than we do at home, 30% of subjects in a research study smiled five to 20 times a day, and 28% smiled over 20 times per day at the office.
8. Smiles use from 5 to 53 facial muscles: Just smiling can require your body to use up to 53 muscles, but some smiles only use 5 muscle movements.
9. Babies are born with the ability to smile: Babies learn a lot of behaviors and sounds from watching the people around them, but scientists believe that all babies are born with the ability, since even blind babies smile.
10. Smiling helps you get promoted: Smiles make a person seem more attractive, sociable and confident, and people who smile more are more likely to get a promotion.
11. Smiles are the most easily recognizable facial expression: People can recognize smiles from up to 300 feet away, making it the most easily recognizable facial expression.
12. Women smile more than men: Generally, women smile more than men, but when they participate in similar work or social roles, they smile the same amount. This finding leads scientists to believe that gender roles are quite flexible. Boy babies, though, do smile less than girl babies, who also make more eye contact.
13. Smiles are more attractive than makeup: A research study conducted by Orbit Complete discovered that 69% of people find women more attractive when they smile than when they are wearing makeup.
14. There are 19 different types of smiles: UC-San Francisco researcher identified 19 types of smiles and put them into two categories: polite “social” smiles which engage fewer muscles, and sincere “felt” smiles that use more muscles on both sides of the face.
15. Babies start smiling as newborns: Most doctors believe that real smiles occur when babies are awake at the age of four-to-six weeks, but babies start smiling in their sleep as soon as they’re born.

Isn't that great! So, smile at someone today and make your and their day a bit better!

Love to you all,

Sharon