The other day, my Dad was reading an article in his emails and turned to ask me "How many times per day do you laugh?" I answered "I laugh a lot, why?" His reply was "On average, children laugh 300 times a day... while adults only laugh about 10 times." I was shocked- Dad laughs a lot more than 10 times usually, and I KNOW I laugh more than 300 times. If anything, I probably laugh 500-700 times- it doesn't take much to make me giggle. A funny picture, something my sister says or does, my dog's reactions, even my own thoughts amuse me.
I've said this time and time again but I'll say it again: it's the little things in life that matter the most. If you take time to look around you, there are many things to laugh and smile about. I think (and this is just my own reasoning) that adults don't smile/laugh as much as children do because they get so caught up in LIFE that they forget to stop and notice small things. Children have more time and are more carefree, and notice things faster and therefore have more to smile and laugh about. No matter what age you are, you should have the time to take even a minute and reflect on the tiny joys in life. Maybe there are pretty sunsets where you live- take the time one day to watch the sun go down. Go out for a short walk in the woods, or along the beach... maybe just sit down with a good book for a half an hour. Take time for yourself, just because you get older doesn't mean you should stop smiling.
I asked my grandma how often she smiled and she said 5-6 times per day. Her excuse? "Well, adults have more responsibility." <=== I think that proves my theory pretty well- just because you have more responsibility doesn't mean neglect your level of happiness. We're given an unknown amount of time on Earth to live- we can choose to be happy and we can choose to be sad. I choose to be happy- what's your choice?
Maddie
I too, choose happiness.
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