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The Underrated Smile

How Your Face Is Beautiful

By Levi SandersPublished 5 years ago 3 min read
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So. You've clicked on my article, probably wondering what in the hell is this boy talking about. "What is this 'underrated smile' he is talking about?" you probably asked yourself. And I'm here to explain.

For YEARS, I was unhappy. Putting up a front that I thought I need to make it seem like I was happy. I was going through the motions: go to high school, graduate, go to college to get some arbitrary degree that I have little to no desire to get, graduate and try to live my life the best I could. I volunteered, I served on boards of directors for a plethora of things, and I tried dating. Through all that, I still was unhappy; unable to find a purpose in what I wanted out of life and what life wanted out of me. I put my time in making OTHER people happy, that I didn't have any time and happiness for me anymore. I faced heartbreak: losing friendships and potential significant others because once they got their fill of me, they tossed me to the side. I was used, abused, and forgotten about by so many people, that that became my norm.

I was doing a lot of self reflection after this, and what I really wanted out of life. I was tired of going through the motions. I was tired of appeasing so many other people, when I really only needed to take care of one person: myself. I decided my life needed a change, and it was time for me to be happy.

I switched my major to something I was actually interested in studying. I pushed myself out of my shell by doing community theatre. I started doing things, and making time for me. And you know what started to happen?

I started to smile.

I didn't realize what I had been doing until I had worked with a transgender client. She was in high school, uncomfortable with identifying with a gender that was not her assigned one at birth. After processing these thoughts and emotions, she finally stated, "I'm a girl." Immediately after that moment, I asked her, "You know what you just did?" Shaking her head 'no', I told her, "You smiled. For the first time since I've known you, you genuinely smiled." As you can imagine, happy tears flowed from her eyes, as did mine after she left.

After pointing out that to her, I started critically think about smiling, and how we don't appreciate the moments we do smile. Smiling is the first physical sign of unadulterated joy; a way to show others that we're happy where we are in the moment.

As a very part-time, amateur photographer, a normal thing for people to say to me was that they don't like their smile. They'd say that they never felt comfortable smiling. I took it upon myself to express them two things, and those two things are the reason for this article.

You don't owe anyone for the reasons you smile. You don't owe anyone for the way you smile.

Your smile is yours. Your smile is your sign of happiness. Your smile is just a part of what makes you beautiful.

So, I hope by now you see the importance of smiling. I hope you take the chance to appreciate the moments you NEED to smile, and do so freely and without caring about what people think. I challenge you to take the time to make the positive changes in your that opens the opportunities to smile. It was the best decision in my life to do so, and I don't regret it one bit.

happiness
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About the Creator

Levi Sanders

A social worker. An advocate. A lover of humans.

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