The instructor of my husband’s movement class is someone I’ve come to think of as a good friend and she tells us that simply smiling, whether it is real or not, will change your personal demeanor. The muscular contractions you make with your face fool your brain into thinking you are happy. I have tried it when I am having a difficult day and it really does work. She also teaches that laughter, fake or real, can help lift your spirits, another concept that I have tried and found to be true. If we can change our individual reality with such simple actions, can sharing concerns and positive feelings about others through thought, meditation or prayer help bring about a change?

It does sound rather unrealistic, yet even taking the time to consider positives changes I would like to see for other members of my community changes my perspective. If I can look at challenges other people are facing with compassion and caring, it also helps me look differently at the challenges I have in my day. I don’t need to compare our situations or lessen anything they are going through, simply think of them with hope and love. I know from experience that when I take the time to create and send positive thoughts out to someone, it can bring about positive feelings within me.

Making conscious choices to wrap my friends in positive thoughts does change the way I interact with them and positively impacts the way I move through my days. If I am presenting the universe with a positive face, how can the universe respond back any differently?