Musings of my Grateful Mind

Musings of my Grateful Mind

A lot has been going on lately and I’ve been inspired to write again, which I’m glad, because I love to write! Anyhow, in keeping with my theme of beauty I want to write about another way to be beautiful; being thankful.

That’s something God’s dealt with me on and off about over the past few years but recently it’s been more and more. I started reading a book that dealt with thankfulness and in it, the author writes a list of 1000 things in her day to day life that God has given her purely to enjoy. I started doing the same thing and the results have been incredible! 

 It’s been a month since I started writing down everything that caught my eye and the main thing I’ve noticed is the change in my perspective. I’ve given myself the goal to get my 1000 gifts in 6 months which means about 166 things a month which would be 5 or 6 things a day. Easy, right? Well it’s been a month and I’m at 80. I’ve realized how ungrateful I am! I’ve never been the type to “stop and smell the flowers” or whatever the phrase is. I never appreciated views or skylines or anything like that until just recently.

As I’ve started to pay more attention to my surroundings, I’ve realized how much beauty and awesomeness is in every situation!

For example, right now I’m driving to Santa Monica with my husband. It’s 7:30pm. I could either look at this as:

1.       This road is so long and boring.

2.       Wish my mom and dad still lived in CA and not MD!

3.       My butt hurts.

4.       My leg has fallen asleep.

5.       How long til we’re there?

6.       Stupid car in front of us, get out of the way.

 Or as, things to be thankful for in this situation:

1.       My husband. Nuff said! But I’ll say anyway…

a.       He’s talking away about random stuff, which I love. (He’s not a huge small talker, so when he does, I enjoy it very much because I’m a huge small talker!)

b.      I just love spending time with him and we’ve got 8 hours together in this car!

c.       The reggae music that is playing is a product of our compromising. He can’t stand my girly music and I can’t stand his  hard rock music so reggae works for us both.

d.      He wants to ‘help’ me write my blog which is making me laugh. He makes me laugh. He makes me happy.

e.      Even when we’re both being quiet, his mere presence is enjoyable.

2.       Unfortunately even though there is not much lighting on this stretch of road there aren’t many stars BUT there is one lone star directly in front of us, which my husband pointed out. There is also a planet, I believe Venus, to our left, of which we discussed whether it was a plane, a star, or a planet. (non flashing, non moving = planet. Iphone constellation app to confirm.)

a.       I concentrate on looking just to the side of the star so I can actually see it (you know those kind) and think about the wonder of how God created every single one.

b.      I start to think about the planet and my husband’s jokester voice interrupts my thoughts which is perfectly ok because…well…he’s funny.

3.        Other cars and trucks on the road.

a.       Where are they going? Who are they? Who are they going to see? Who did they just come from seeing? What’s their life story? Why are they on this road, right now, at the same time as me? God, help me to see people through your eyes …

4.       The road.

a.       It connects me to my family in California and in Maryland.

b.      I wonder how long it took to make and how many jobs it created?

5.       My Destination

a.       My 1.5 month old neice who I haven’t seen in a month.

b.      My sister aka my best friend

c.       My brother in law

d.      The ministry we are going to perform

e.      The beautiful weather we’re heading into

See how a simple situation can be thought of completely differently? 

I mentioned earlier how the main thing I’ve noticed is my change of perspective. By that I mean, the way I look at life, every day. Instead of getting annoyed or stressed out and complaining, I am trying (key word – trying) to see what good could come out of that situation.

Remember I also said earlier I’m only at number 80 when I should be at 166? It’s easy to not see the good things in life, we really have to try and pray for God to open our eyes.

At the ladies Bible study at our church, we are talking about deep hurt and how every time we go through something, God means it for our greater good. I think every day can be like that and should be. As I look for things to add to my list of 1000 every day, it causes me to have to see past the obstacles life throws at us. I’m not allowed to write down “Knowing God is good even though I’ve had a terrible day” so I pray and ask God to help me see my terrible day through different eyes so I can write down “a change of mind and heart from a good God”.

So basically….be beautiful…by being thankful…so you can be happy…and smile…! And smiles are beautiful! (Notice how I threw in the cheese?!) But seriously, have you ever looked at a happy person and thought they were ugly? You can’t! Happiness and gratefulness is beautiful.

Instruments not Ornaments Part 2

Now that I think about it, I should have switched the pictures...you'll get it once I explain it! 

   So, in summary: we left off seeing that viewing physical fitness simply as how we look and feel is fairly shallow and doesn't get us (me) very far. I also told the story about Gary Thomas taking care of the folder because it wasn't his and how different things would be if we did the same with our bodies.

   Now, how SHOULD we look at physical fitness if not by how it affects how we look and feel? What other way is there to look at it? Well...by how it affects our soul, of course! Hm...I guess that's not so self explanatory.

   Okay, let me explain it this say. 

   Saying no when you don't need to eat something builds discipline to be able to say no to other kinds of temptations; stopping eating at a certain point does away with gluttony; initiating healthy eating builds a desire to initiate other healthy things even so far as to say, ministry!

   When you give up working out and eating healthy, chances are you're giving up on other areas of discipline also.

   The truth is, having an active lifestyle will allow you to serve God stronger and harder for a longer period of time. Like I mentioned in part 1, you could be as thin as a rail but that doesn't go hand in hand with being fit. If you tire out easily, feel lethargic often, have frequent 'lazy days', don't be deceived that these are only affecting your fitness level, they will also affect your passion to serve God. 

   Of course, there's nothing wrong with chilling out and relaxing. In fact God commands us to have a rest day. Genesis 2:3 says, "And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done." Note the bolded portion; in order to rest, you have to have something you're resting from. There has to be previous work done in order to merit a rest. Otherwise it's not resting. It's laziness. 

   If you haven't figured out where the 'instruments not ornaments' phrase came from by now, in a nutshell it's this:
   Ornaments are beautiful, above is one like what my mom made for all the boys in our family this Christmas, 'melted snowman' (the girls got cupcakes- SUPER cute!). Truth is, though, they hang and look nice. That's it. And even the phrase 'look nice' is subjective to opinion. Maybe, someone wouldn't like a cupcake or a melted snowman. Ornaments and decorations are subject to personal taste and everyone's differs.
   Now an instrument usually does look pretty cool to. My husband got me a violin for Christmas and I think it's the classiest looking thing! But it has a USE, it plays some pretty beautiful music. (I don't...yet...but it is capable of doing so, if placed in the right hands!)
   So, I acts ya: Would you rather be an ornament, pretty but useless; or an instrument, when placed in the Creator's hands, made to do something absolutely beautiful?

   Do not focus on wanting to look and feel good about yourself. In and of itself, these are NOT bad things at all...we should want to look and feel our best but it is the reasoning behind it that is important. Actually, this ties in to the whole reason I started this blog. If our reasoning is vanity, this is wrong. But what if wanting to feel and look our best was because, every day, we woke up and said, "What gives me the most energy to be used by God, today?" Now that, is very good.

   

    

Instruments Not Ornaments Part 1

THE INSTRUMENT

   I was driving home from the Prescott conference a couple of weeks ago, listening to a Christian radio station that was playing their 'Focus on the Family' session when this guy, Gary Thomas came on the show to promote his book 'Every Body Matters'.  I was so inspired listening to him that I took a bunch of notes while I was driving (I spoke them into the microphone and the phone typed them for me; don't worry I wasn't writing out a blog while I was driving!) and now I have comprised them into a blog post.

   Also, I have recently been trying to lose weight and am considering doing the HCG diet so any time some one mentions keeping in shape and tips to do so, I perk up. These were different kind of tips though, a different perspective on being in shape and I just have to share.

 

   Gary Thomas began with a story that I must retell in order for you to get what I did, out of this. I hope there's nothing illegal about writing about all this. Haha. I'm sure I'll find out soon enough if there is! As far as copy write infringement goes, I have mentioned his name and his book and am not saying this story is my own! 

   So...story time...

   Gary was writing with a senator, a bio about the senator's life (I believe my memory serves me right). Well,  before Gary left one evening, the senator handed him a file. In that file, he told Gary, were a bunch of letters and things the senator's father had written to him that he wanted Gary to review for the book. I should mention, these papers were the originals, not copies. Gary was kind of in a panic trying not to take the papers because, in his words: "If you saw my office, you'd think differently of me." Apparently, Gary has a paper problem. His office is covered in random papers, not all of which he knows what they are! He's always having to reprint lost or misplaced papers for some reason or another. So, being given this original folder full of extremely sentimental letters made him slightly crazy. He did not let that folder out of his sight once, the whole time he had it. I believe it was an entire week. Gary kept tabs on it every moment, he had to know where it was at every second. He was so determined not to lose it...because...and here's the punch line...it wasn't his. 

   

   Now the comparison Gary drew was....what if we treated our bodies the same way?  Because in reality, as a Christian, my body is not my own but God's. The bible says so. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own." I think that's pretty clear.  Growing up, I thought that meant things like not getting tattoos, smoking, drinking, taking drugs, etc. Which I don't doubt it does, however, maybe being in shape is something we can add to that? Let me explain (with Gary's help, even though he doesn't know it.)

   Looking at physical fitness in terms of how you look or feel is one way of seeing it, but that doesn't help us for very long. I feel like a big lump of lard and then I start working out, I realize how hard this is going to be, and my standard for how I look and feel drops drastically and I decide I look and feel great and working out isn't necessary. Maybe that's just me! 

   I remember one time specifically, I had gone shopping and was so depressed at the size of clothes I was having to buy, I went to my friends house to work out instead, determined to keep up the work and lose the weight. I was no more than 20 minutes into my work out doing an exercise that required me to leave my right leg on the floor, lift my left leg straight behind me and lean over until my body was parallel with my left leg. One hand was holding onto a table for balance and the other was pulling a weight up to my shoulder. I distinctly remember looking down and my leg and thinking, "It actually looks pretty toned! What am I sweating like this for?! Forget it, I'm not that bad off." Remember, just 2 HOURS earlier I was completely disgusted at my clothes size!! 

   I did 2 things wrong there: I based my fitness level on how I looked and felt at the time and I based my fitness level on the size of my body. Being skinny does not mean you are in good shape. I have a friend who is several sizes larger than me, yet she can outrun me, out-swim me, out-ANYTHING me on any given day! She is in such better shape than I am! 

   So, hence my point about how looking at physical fitness in terms of how you look and feel doesn't go the distance for some of us (me). Some of us (me) need a spiritual look at things before we realize how important they really are. These are the things that will be discussed in Instruments Not Ornaments Part 2....

   

Cute as a B....anana...

^My Sister- The Cute Banana. Read on...

 

 Yes, I know it's been over a month since I've posted as my mother so kindly reminded me and that it IS amusing and a little ironic that my last post was entitled "Taking a Day Off" and then I took over a month off! Then my sister told me a funny story of something that happened to her that I must (with her permission) re-tell and tonight I heard an inspiring story on the radio that made me get all in writing mode. (The radio post will come tomorrow or in a couple of days.)

   I'm going to call this post a testimonial. From someone who got inspired from reading the blog to try and put in some extra effort to herself! If you send me a story of something that happened to you or a change you made because of reading this blog, if you want me to, I will re-post the story in order to inspire others!  Send your story privately, not in a comment so as not to ruin the surprise of the post! I don't know if blogspot does private posts so you can always email me: brittney.arthairstudio@gmail.com. 

   Moving on- my sister calls me and says "I guess this looking cute everywhere you go thing does work ha!" (or something to that effect) Her story is as follows: (as closely to the truth as I remember...I remember the important parts anyway!)

   My sister, Claressa, was grocery shopping and standing by some bananas, inspecting which fruit to buy I should think, when a funny little man with an accent, standing next to her says something odd like, 
"Good day to buy bananas!" 
Claressa awkwardly agreed, "Uh...yeah."
   Continuing the conversation, the man shakes his head at the mushy, older bananas he was looking at and referred to them as "grandma bananas". 
   My sister kindly pointed to the other side of the stand and tells him, "There are better bananas over there." He thanked her and as he was moving to the better bananas he compliments her, 
   "You look cute.....like fresh banana!"

   A few things to point out here.

1. Claressa was grocery shopping. Why is this important? Because it is a minuscule and in my opinion, slightly boring chore that some people will do in their pajamas. Particularly at Walmart.

2. She was nice. Me? I would have automatically tried to skidaddle at the very first sentence. "Good day to buy bananas"? How is one day better than another to buy bananas?? ...but not Claressa. No sir-ee. She smiled and ushered him to the 'cuter' bananas that weren't so grandmotherly.

3. Compliments = Confidence and that's okay! Even if it was an unusual compliment, it made her laugh and feel good. Good enough to call specifically to laugh and tell me about it.

4. She took the time to get ready for errands. I guess this and point 1 go hand in hand. Errands. No one to impress. Husband at work. Don't have to be professional. Just running out and coming back. But still, she took a little extra time to do her hair and make up. Maybe she didn't have a wedding up-do done or stage make up, but a little combing, a little flat iron on the bangs, a little mascara and eyeliner goes a long way and I'm willing to bet, although I could be wrong, but I bet she felt better and more motivated to run her errands and quite possibly was treated better by those serving her. Definitely better than if she'd gone in there in pajamas!


Now, I have to admit, I was getting lazy on the looking nice thing then my sister told me that story and I knew I should get back to the grinding stone. Hope this has helped to encourage any readers, or at least make you chuckle a bit!

Yes, I found this picture on the internet. It's perfect!!

Take a Day Off

    As I lay on my bed with my laptop on my knee, I thought "I haven't blogged in awhile...now what I should I blog about; I do feel like writing." Then I thought about my blog and about beauty and about looking nice and feeling better about yourself. Then I thought about what I look like right now. As gross as it is, I worked out earlier and have not showered yet because I'm home alone and just been cleaning all day. Plus a combination of dawn dish soap and vinegar are in both shower and tub for the next hour. (Found this pic on pinterest.com and it leads to the above concoction. I'm testing it out.) 

So anyways, my hairs piled on my head, bangs pinned back, no make up, nail polish is chipped and I'm wearing shorts and a tank. The tank has holes in it from my former room mate's cat using it as her scratching post. Yup, I'm a sight for sore eyes. Or I think that's how that saying is used.

Anyways, this is my thought process.

Looking good all the time is great and fun and you feel good. I do, anyway. However, it's a lot of work. Since I've started this blog, I've been much more aware of how I look (partly for fear that someone who reads my blog will see me looking awful and judge me. Just kidding....kind of!). So I've really been trying to do my hair and make up whenever I leave the house, and even do day time make up for my husband instead of staying in my pajamas all day every day. (Or at least when I'm not working).

So, I have made a decision. One needs a day off. They give you days off at work don't they? They don't want you overworked or then when you DO work, your work will be mediocre. Same with what you look like! If you get overwhelmed with it all, you'll end up slapping on minimal make up and styling your hair in your 'go-to' way...eventually your efforts will end up mediocre and you'll be back to that same blah feeling like before.

Why don't you take a day off? Preferably your cleaning day. Today I am doing laundry, testing cleaning cocktails on my tub and shower; I vacuumed and dusted, cleaned both bathrooms, and after this I'll work up the courage to tackle the dishes before my husband gets home and sees them STILL sitting on the counter. I have no grocery shopping to do or errands to run so my blah face and body can stay safely at home.

In conclusion, take a day off from making your statement. It will boost your efforts the other days. It may even remind you of that blah feeling which we all hate! I don't want to hate my clothes and my hair and think I'm fat and see all my zits...I prefer to feel confident and beautiful! And today, even though I've only been home and cleaning, I remember that blahness that's no fun.

I will mention, I felt very unmotivated the first 2 hours this morning and I knew that if I just got up and got dressed, combed my hair, and possibly put on a little mascara and chap stick, just for myself, that I would feel better and ready to start the day. However, I am human and I just lazed around instead. 

I will also add that I will be showering and putting on make up and doing my hair before my husband gets home. He came home for lunch and saw me like this, which is fine, he loves me anyway, but there's no reason for me to stay like this all night to!

Sidenote: I am working on a blog "let's hear it from the men" which is going to be really fun! I just have to think of the exact questions to ask on the survey. If you have any ideas that you would like to include in the survey, regarding how men think about all of these issues, please let me know, I'd love to hear from you!!

It's the little things that count.

        This 2 year old even knows how to look put together! It's all in the pose, baby, all in the pose.

    Pretend to look good. Sounds lame. Why would I want to pretend? Ooh ooh I know! I don't have time to get completely ready...or I don't feel like it...or I just straight up don't want to, but still want to look good!

   There are a few ways that you can look put together and probably feel better about yourself to and it's all in the little things. When you see someone with all the little things done, (little things are outlined below) you think "Now there's a girl that takes care of herself, even in the little things." And for some reason, her messy 'do now seems somewhat stylish and her mismatched outfit is quite the statement. Let's look at these little things.

   1. Painting your nails. Ever seen a 'good girl' (a girl that's good at being a girl. I have an upcoming giveaway idea regarding being a 'good girl') with chipped nails? No. That's because they understand that freshly painted finger nails (and toes if they will be seen) gives the glamour touch, no matter what you're wearing.

   2.  Waxing/Tweezing your eyebrows. Eyebrows make a huge difference to how your face looks. You'd never realize it until you try it. Bushy, unruly eyebrows make it hard for eye make up to look good or eyes to stand out and we all know we want our eyes to stand out. Shaped eyebrows make for a much cleaner, kept look. This goes for mustaches to. Don't pretend you don't have one. Except don't try and shape it. Just get rid of it.

   3. Bangs. This was mentioned in a previous post. If you don't have time to do your hair, rather than taking the time on your style and pinning your bangs back, switch it up; if you style your bangs, it looks like you did your hair, even when you just threw it in a ponytail. People notice the front of your head before they notice the back.

   4.  Chap stick. Chapped lips always makes one feel icky and look fairly blotchy. When you're lips are a pretty color and healthy, your whole face seems smoother.

   5.  Standing up straight. Sounds trivial but makes a huge difference. Especially when I'm having a 'I'm feeling fat' day.

   6. Perfume. Smelling good makes everyone think you look good. Don't overkill but a few spritzes and especially deodorant goes a long way. The senses are connected. People who smell good generally look good.

   7. SMILE. Find something to be happy about! Joyful people are never ugly. Even if someone isn't drop dead super model gorgeous, when she is friendly and happy, you can never say she's anything less than beautiful inside and out.

   8. Touching up regrowth. If you can't keep up with how fast your hair grows, opt for a color that's closer to your natural. Sure, the 'ombre' is in style but the truth is, you can tell when someone has the ombre and when someone just hasn't done their hair. Plus, when your hair is annoying, life is annoying. Regrowth tends to look greasy and un-kept. Chances are if you haven't colored your regrowth, you haven't had a hair cut and your hair is probably feeling too heavy and bulky along with the rest of the problems. I always feel like my hair is uncooperative and my face is fat and blotchy and my make up is defective when my hair needs to be done. Not worth it!

   9. Accept compliments. I have a hard time with this one but it is true... when someone compliments you, just say thank you. Don't turn it into a negative comment or downplay. Eg/ Sally says "Mary, you look so pretty today, I love that dress!" Mary replies, "Ugh, I just wore this dress because it covers all my lumpiness." Then Sally feels obligated to say "What lumpiness?!! You're crazy!" and her compliment has been successfully diminished and voided out. Over time, Sally will stop complimenting Mary because it won't help. Mary will always see herself in a negative light and nothing Sally says will make any difference. Just don't put yourself down. Let others' compliments build up your confidence. (Just don't rely on them for it!)

   10. Clear lip gloss. A touch of foundation to take away redness from lips (unless red lips works for you!) and a coat of clear lip gloss does wonders for the face. If you can pair it with a swipe of mascara across your lashes that'll open up your eyes, making you look prettier and brighter for the day ahead.

   11. Bonus round: back comb it. I'm not talking Amy Winehouse. Or even my gorgeous sister who allowed me to dress her up as a Who character from a Grinch themed hair show when I was in beauty school. (see the picture in post titled Tips and Tricks or click here: Tips and tricks). I'm talking about a little teasing in the crown of your head. It makes greasy hair last another day and gives you a little boost so you don't feel so flat.

Tips and Tricks!

Mental note: Must wear hair like this to work tomorrow.

  Sometimes we don't understand people.  Like the kid who sped his bicycle across the busy street...10 feet from a cross walk. Or the man that drove the wrong way down a one way street. Or what about the lady who, not once, but twice, tried to change lanes without looking and each time was honked back to her original lane? I don't get her.
   All those things happened in one car ride to work. Crazy, right? People! Those are extreme examples of not being able to understand someone but in reality, we really don't know what's going on in their mind. Let's take the man going the wrong way down the road for example; my first thought was, "Idiot!!!" then I caught myself. After hearing a sermon my dad preached awhile back, every mean word that comes to my mind stands out strongly and I've realize I can be very harsh person and judge quickly. So when I immediately thought what an imbecile this man was, I then wondered what could possibly be his reasoning for doing that. Maybe it's as simple as he wasn't paying attention, or he saw there was no cars and it was a quicker route being that he was late to work...but what if...just what if...he just got a phone call that something happened to his son, or daughter, or wife and they were rushed to hospital minutes earlier? What if turning that direction (seeing as there weren't any cars) avoided an accident from a car that ran a red light in front of him, that I didn't see? I'll never know and for that reason, I'll never have the right to decide whether he or anyone is a careless human or not. Really, who am I to decide that anyway? Look at my driving! I'm sure I make half the world angry when I get behind a steering wheel but yet I get to decide who the idiots are?!
    So, this whole scenario got me thinking; just because someone doesn't LOOK put together and fashionable does not mean they don't WANT to and that they're lazy good for nothing women. Maybe, just maybe, they woke up late (as I often do), or they can't afford the newest stuffs (as I often can't), or they just simply don't know the techniques to use! Hence the reason for this post. Below are some easy tips and tricks to make getting ready quicker and easier.

1. Shower the night before. Crazy right? Not so much. From a hygiene point of view, when you sleep, you shed thousans of skin cells during the night. In showering before going to bed, what with your loofahing, exfoliating, and towel drying, you will be getting rid of most of those dead skin cells meaning you'll be less likely to attract bugs or mites into your bed. Don't forget how fresh your face will be as washing your face in the shower is 47% more effective than in the sink when you are not washing the rest of your body. It also leaves your face clean for the morning, so it's much easier to apply your make up, rather than trying to scrub it off the next morning, running out of time and slapping new make up on over the old stuff. Also, warm water relaxes your body and prepares it for rest, so you'll wake up feeling more refreshed.
Not only that but if you wash your hair in the night and sleep with it in a braid or loose pony, it will dry through the night, leaving your hair ready for your flat iron or curler the next morning, eliminating the need for a blow dryer which will 1. save your hair's health a little bit and 2. save you time. (sidebar: for goodness sake, use a heat protector spray before applying heat to your hair...it'll save you from having to chop your locks later, like I had to; more about that in another post!)

2. Ready your clothes the night before. I find that when I lay out what I'm going to wear the night before, it takes me way less time to get ready in the morning, but also I tend to find cuter outfits than when I'm half asleep and running late in the morning. I have time to pick out my accessories and the right shoes, etc.

3. Make a shake the night before. Berries, protein, milk or yogurt, vanilla and cinnamon. Or whatever your shake consists of. Make it the night before and put it in the fridge, ready for you to grab and go. Breakfast kick starts your metabolism. We've all heard it: "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day". Why don't we just listen and obey!
Might as well throw in making a lunch the night before here. Let's save some money eating out girls so we can buy some cute accessories to make our outfits awesome! Or even worse...make sure you actually eat at lunch time and don't just wait til you get home because you forgot to bring food and don't want to spend the money!!! Snackies are never bad either. Just sayin'.

4. Ready your purse the night before. Keys are my nemesis. They always make me late. I have a wonderful husband that hung up a key hanger as soon as we moved in so it's not an issue anymore. Well...for the most part. If you don't have a key hanger, always put your keys in your purse and that will illuminate having to look for them and locking yourself out of your house. Trust me, it can be a problem.
Readying your purse also includes readying whatever you need for work. Doing that the night before makes your entire next day less stressful. You won't have forgotten anything you need, you won't be wondering if you've forgotten something; you'll just have a slightly easier day since you'll be prepared.

5. Lastly, bangs. This is kind of out there, but as a stylist I see a lot of foreheads and a lot of hair and I'm a firm believer that everyone can pull of some sort of bang. There's so many different kinds, I know they work for everyone. The nice thing about having bangs is when you don't have time to do your hair, you can throw it up in a messy bun or top knot, pull down some pieces by your ears and give them a little curl or straightening, if necessary, style your bangs and you're good to go!


What do 4 out of these 5 tips have in common? Utilizing the night before!! If you do that, you can sleep quite a bit longer and have a better day and we all know the cheesy fact of life- a smile can make the biggest difference in what you look like and how you feel!