Happy World Smile Day!!

I post this entry for two reasons: 1) Who doesn't need a good smile right now? and 2) It's civic pride. (And according to my husband who is a "Wusstah" guy through and through I don't have enough of it)

This Friday is World Smile Day - a day devoted to "good cheer and good works." Started by Harvey Ball, the inventor of the smiley face seen above, the day is meant to benefit children's charities around the world, while encouraging people to "Do an act of kindness - help one person smile."

Mr. Ball, who was born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts (and, I will add for all you Colonels out there, a South High graduate), created the loveable smiley face in 1963. Just think, someone had to "invent" it :)

From Wikipedia.com:

"The invention of the Smiley came about in 1963. The State Mutual Life Assurance Company of Worcester, MA (now known as Allmerica Financial) purchased Guarantee Mutual Company of Ohio. The merger resulted in low employee morale. In an attempt to solve this, Harvey Ball was employed in 1963 as a freelance artist to create a smiley face to be used on buttons, desk cards, and posters. In less than ten minutes the smiley face was complete. The use of the smiley face was part of the company's friendship campaign whereby State Mutual handed out 100 smiley pins to employees. The aim was to get employees to smile while using the phone and doing other tasks . . .

"Ball never applied for a trademark or copyright of the smiley and earned just $45 for his work. State Mutual, similarly, did not make any money from the design. Ball's son, Charles Ball is reported to have said his father never regretted not registering the copyright."

So do something great this Friday . . . Help your neighbor bring in the groceries, volunteer in your child's classroom, turn off the television and the computer and read your own children an extra bedtime story. Whatever you do make yourself happy by making someone else smile. It's a feeling that can't be replicated and you never know how your good will may be passed onto others.

Maybe a smile can change the world . . .