Why Do Weddings and Parties Make Me Smile?

Why are these men smiling? Here we are last summer, having a great time posing for publicity photos. Thank you to photographer Jeanine Brown for the terrific pictures that afternoon.

Please remember this: Smiling improves everything. This tip is simple, easy, and VERY powerful. No charge.

Somehow we already know that smiling is a wonderful asset for living well, and for taking care of business, too. But do you know WHY smiling is contagious? It’s still a mystery to me, and my research continues. Frequently I spend time just smiling at everyone I meet. I watch them smile back, then people THEY meet start smiling too, and bingo! Everyone around us is not only wearing a dazzling grin, but is happier than we were a moment earlier. I don’t know why it happens, but I love it!

Hospitality is an optimistic profession, so if you’re involved too, whatever you do, be optimistic. If you want to cheer up a room, smile at everyone. Often that’s all it takes. The same strategy works for “breaking the ice” whenever you meet someone.

I’ve always smiled easily. Probably from shyness when I was young (believe it or not!). I’m sure I quickly learned that smiling made me relaxed, happy, and charmed everyone around me.

My mother encouraged my smiling, too. She taught us a song about smiling, from her Girl Scout days back in the 1930’s. It’s what they call a “patter song”, with very rapid-fire lyrics that always brought down the house with us kids. Reading the words alone can be monotonous, so ask me to sing it for you.

If you will smile in the morning,
you’ll smile throughout the afternoon, and get your smiling habit soon.
Smile and the world will come
smiling back to you, and you’ll have everybody smiling too.

Smile when the skies that are blue turn to grey,
Smile and you’ll chase Mr. Trouble and his family away, keep smiling!

Smile when it’s raining and
you’ll forget to curse the fellow who has borrowed your umbrella,
Sunshine will come after a while!

Smile and be a pleasure-maker, smile and fool the undertaker,
Doctor bills you never have to pay,
You’re in style when you’re wearing a smile.

Now, I don’t know if “smilers” are better friends or more productive workers, but I’ll bet they enjoy life more than “grumps” do. Because smiling makes us happy, I enjoy working with smilers and I avoid working with grumps. Seems natural to me. You, too?

Nearly ALL my friends and colleagues smile broadly and often. It makes working with them so much smoother, especially at weddings and parties. Even chatting with them is always a treat. Some of the brightest smiles belong to Amy Frugoli, David Ethridge, Kathryn Kalabokes, Dustin Eisenhauer, Liz Guthrie, Chris Citti, Brynn Kessler, Duncan Reyes, and Kathy Goodman. Just tell ‘em I said so, and watch ‘em go! And if you're looking for any of their services, it's a good bet you'll love working with them, too.

Speaking of “smiles”, the band has been making lots of people smile this year, and I’m always on the lookout for more opportunities. For instance, will you be celebrating a significant event soon? Throw a party and include us. Are friends talking about a wedding? Please recommend us. Today I’m talking with people hosting parties for Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. If you’ll have a soiree on one of these days, or on any day in between, now’s a good time to arrange the details, including the music.

Have a question? We’ll have the answer. Call us at 408-245-9120. You’ll love what we do. We’re easy to work with, so let our experience help your celebration.

In the meantime, please catch us at a few public events coming up. On Sunday, April 26, we’ll be entertaining during a “Baby Boomers Expo” at The Santa Clara Convention Center. Three days later, on Wednesday, April 29, we’ll create a lively atmosphere for a special shopping night at Macy’s Stanford Shopping Center, in Palo Alto. Please visit MagnoliaJazz.com for details, and I hope to see you soon.

Thanks for reading my blog, and I hope you enjoy considering my ideas. Please tell me what you think, and I’ll reply to all your comments. In the meantime, please take a moment to find me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter.