Did you know that smiling is more than a universal way to communicate and express emotion? Research has shown that smiling not only has the power to improve your own mood, but the mood of those that witness you smile. And just like a gift that keeps on giving, smiles are also contagious.

Oh sure, I could impress you by citing a myriad of complex studies that support the claim but if you’re anything like me, you might find that discussing research and smiling are negatively correlated (that’s for you John).

The bottom line is that choosing to smile costs nothing and produces happy feelings for you and those around you.

One of my favorite things about Firefly Forest was that no matter how I was feeling when I entered the Forest, in the end I left smiling.