For years I wondered why my grandmother always looked so sad in pictures! I wondered why a smile was devoid of her face more times than I can count! One day, I asked her to smile in the midst of taking her picture and she refused! I asked her why and she replied that she didn't like her smile! Years later, I realized that I was very similar in thinking! I've always hated my smile! I feel like it makes me look foolish and gummy!! However, when I do smile I look 10 years younger. Now at 39, I'm starting to smile more as a way of holding on to that youth haha! But smiling is more than just grasping the youth rope it's about letting your inner soul shine bright! Smiling is such a simple gesture and its impact can be felt well beyond the person who is viewing it in the moment!! The picture attached to this blog note was taken on my last night in Nashville! I was walking back to my room and pulled out the camera! I took pictures of the statues and the greenery! I took pictures of the walkways and the pathways! And I took a picture of me! I really like it hahaha. Looking at me smiling makes me smile and remember the good times! Life is too short to go around with a frown even if its unintentional. I'm gonna make a concerted effort to smile more! Besides if I start looking 29 all the time in my pictures then the smile lift is working!!