I had just stepped out of the bright sunshine into thick shadows of the forest.  The cool shade offered some much needed relief from the sweltering heat of the midday sun.  The rain that had fallen earlier still clung to the leaves above my head and added a touch of refreshment to the cool breeze that slowly danced with the ferns growing at my feet.

        As I considered these ferns more carefully I wondered what it must be like to live constantly in the shadows; never knowing a day of the full sunshine of our Alabama skies.  Some would consider their world gloomy, dismal and colorless as they slowly grow beneath the towering trees stealing their sunshine.  But as I peer into the face of my ferns I do not believe they mind one little bit because they are thriving in the shadows.  And even though the sunshine seldom reaches their cheerful leaves they still keep facing the sun and strangely they don’t even notice the shadows.

        Oh, to be more like the ferns growing, flourishing and thriving in the midst of a world devoid of sunshine.  The good news is we can choose to live a life that is marked and characterized by a positive and cheerful disposition even if we are living in the shadows of dark and colorless circumstances.  Cheerfulness is the habit of looking at the good side of things and having an attitude of gratitude instead of focusing on the shadows.  Cheerfulness is the atmosphere in which all things thrive.

        Even if we can’t enjoy constant happiness, we can always be cheerful.  Cheerfulness is the pole that adds balance to our steps as we walk the tightrope of life.  It is endowed with tremendous power; able to lift burdens with a single smile.  Cheerfulness is a universal language that never goes up in price nor down in value.  The person who is smart enough to keep smiling usually winds up with something good enough to smile about.  So, if your world seems dark today, try brightening it up a little with the kindling of laughter, the starter fluid of cheerfulness and the red hot flame of a smile.  Remember, happiness is a choice.

Something to think about:

• A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.

• Consider yourself improperly clothed unless you are wearing a smile.

• Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.

• Cheerful company shortens the miles.

• Do not keep the alabaster boxes of your love and tenderness sealed up until your friends are dead. Fill their lives with sweetness. Speak approving, cheering words while their ears can hear them and while their hearts can be thrilled by them.

• Burdens become light when cheerfully borne.

• Cheerfulness keeps up a kind of daylight in the mind and fills it with a steady and perpetual serenity.

• The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.

Thankful to those who have taught me to smile
Rickey Moore