The Whole Body Smile

 

Written a long time ago,

time to reprise, I need a smile.

 

The Whole Body Smile

Smile, it makes them wonder what you are up to.

No, not that smarmy, guilty looking grin that the Cheshire Cat wore

to help make Alice into the star she is today.

No, not that slight curvature of the corners of your mouth

that you force onto your face when the little old lady

pinches your cheek.

Yes, your real smile, the one that goes from the top of your

head all the way down to your toes, “the whole body smile.”

Never heard of it, don't know how to do it??

Just follow these simple instructions, these twelve easy steps:

1) Be happy:  It is an attitude, just do it.

2) Clear your brain of any activity:  (Like thinking) For most of us
there is no effort required, this is better known as our normal state of mind.

3) Open your eyes:  Sparkling, smiling, laughing eyes are beautiful to behold
and the wonder is how those smiling eyes see things more clearly.
Every day something new is born into this world.
Smile, God made it just for you to enjoy.

4) Shut your mouth:  You cannot hear when your mouth is moving,
nor can you smile when you mouth is moving.

5) Clean out your ears:  Listen closely to others and heed the word of God.
God has endowed man with the ability to make beautiful music,
learn to listen and listen to enjoy.

6) Relax.: Ever notice that the back of your neck is always tense,
bad habit, smiles make the stress go away.

7) Follow your heart:  Love enormously, love often and smile when you think of
those that you love. Remember that you may like things, you may enjoy things,
you may want things, but your only need is to love people, God and pets.

8) Hug everything, even trees: God has given you two arms and two hands
so that you may hold onto those things that make you smile, however,
we must remember that God’s will may take those things from us at anytime
and we must let go and learn to smile when we remember the good times.
Hand in hand we will do for each other what we cannot do alone
If you are holding my hand I cannot pick up a drink.

9) Trust your gut feelings: God has given you the intuitive instincts
to protect your feelings from being hurt.
Learn to smile when you say "I told you so."

10) Move out of the way: God has given you two legs to allow you
to motivate your body to places that are happy.
Go there.
Smile in anticipation while you are moving towards your happy destination,
and make the smile even larger when you have reached your goal.

11) Dance: God has given you two feet to celebrate the rest of your body.
Don't think about it, don't talk about it, see it, feel it, trust it,
listen to the music and move to the rhythm of God's earth.

12) Toes know: When your toes are happy,
you will know you have learned “the whole body smile.”

Smile, this is God's candid camera watching you do his will.

Be yourself...everyone else is already taken.

The Doctors orders are to repeat the process as often as necessary and share
with everyone whom you think would also benefit from “The Whole Body Smile.”

SMILE :)

Happiness is helping someone help themselves.

Michael_e    :)

Recovery...as this drunk sees it #1

"The cost of living has gone up another dollar 

a quart." 
~ W. C. Fields

The first word that needs to be understood 

before anyone  can even begin to deal with 

an addict/alcoholic is:

Denial....

D - don't 
E - even 
N -no (know)
I - I 
A - am 
L - lying

How can you tell when an alcoholic is lying?? 
- His lips are moving.

   Most people are good, moral, upstanding individuals who know the difference between right and wrong. Under the influence, alcoholics forget everything that has to do with making the right choice and they go into a survival mode. If it takes lying, cheating and stealing to get more of the substance that their bodies crave, they will do what they must to get it. The denial system of survival set up by the sick and suffering may and usually involves and affects everyone around them.
   Those who allow (or refuse to admit) the alcoholics immoral behaviors become the enablers of the addict/alcoholic. Enablers, (husband, wives, parents, bosses, friends? employers, significant others) 
are in themselves very sick and need education or treatment just as badly as the alcoholic.

   Rehabilitation means to return an individual back to a sane and normal moral existence.

   During the rehabilitation process education means to discover those behaviors that are destructive to the alcoholic and those around him, and compare them to the behaviors that are acceptable. 
Treatment is the series of exercises and activities suggested to change the identified negative behaviors into acceptable ones.
   After the in-patient treatment, most good rehab facilities will have a new lifestyle plan for the client to put into place upon their release from the facility. This next phase of recovery is a topic for future posts.
   One drink for the alcoholic who is trying to rehabilitate themselves means a total destruction of any progress that may have been made towards the return to a normalized behavior pattern. Often, a relapse by an addict/alcoholic, may add insult to injury. The affected has, by relapsing, added additional guilt and shame to their already diminished egos.Treatment for the relapsed addict/alcoholic (a client who has completed at least one prior stay at a 28 day facility) is a totally different and specific entity in the rehab/treatment field. Some of the more prominent rehabilitation centers in the United States have separate satellite locations or separate on campus facilities specifically assigned to relapse clients.

   Rehab, education, and treatment are to no avail if the affected do not cooperate.

   You can tell a drunk, but you can't tell him much.

   Although this article is addressed to the Addict/Alcoholic, most of the attitudes and behaviors described can be attributed to those who suffer from addictive personalities. It is not what substance one uses, but how they abuse the substance. Gambling, food, sex, workaholic, or any other obsessive compulsive behavior that cause an individual to neglect normal responsibilities or make improper moral judgements, are included in the treatable realm of addictive disorders. 
   Many rehabilitation centers are exclusive to one type of addiction or to a select few addictions that they deem to be equally well treated by their program. 
   Be aware that some of the addictions may be better treated in a clinic situation . Sex and Love addicts and the dual diagnosed usually do better when they are in controlled therapy sessions (Self-help programs) in addition to their twelve step program work. Many self help meetings are not advertised the way AA meetings are publicly scheduled and may need to be sought out by seeking professional guidance. This secrecy is not to hide from public scrutiny to avoid the social stigma, it is done to keep sexual predators and untreated deviates from stalking the vulnerable individuals who need to attend the meetings. Doctors and lawyers have a referral system they use to keep their self help meetings limited to only those in their profession. This type of activity is against the traditions of AA, however, this type of exclusivity only helps to underscore the negative stigma that alcoholism has in the general society.

The following link is to one of the most highly recommended Drug and Alcohol treatment centers in theUnited States. This facility is located in the eastern mid-Atlantic states area.
http://www.fathermartinsashley.com

Happiness is helping someone help themselves.

Michael_e

The Whole Body Smile

Smile, it makes them wonder what you are up to.
No, not that smarmy, guilty looking grin that the 

Cheshire Cat wore to help make Alice into the 

star she is today.

No, not that slight curvature of the corners of your 

mouth that you force onto your face when the little 

old lady pinches your cheek.

Yes, your real smile, the one that goes from 

the top of your head all the way down to your toes, 

“the whole body smile.”

Never heard of it, don't know how to do it??

Just follow these simple instructions,  these twelve easy steps:

1) Be happy. It is an attitude, just do it.

2) Clear your brain of any activity. (Like thinking) For most of us
there is no effort required, this is better known as our normal state of mind.

3) Open your eyes. Sparkling, smiling, laughing eyes are beautiful to behold
and the wonder is how those smiling eyes see things more clearly.
Every day something new is born into this world.
Smile, God made it just for you to enjoy.

4) Shut your mouth. You cannot hear when your mouth is moving,
nor can you smile when you mouth is moving.

5) Clean out your ears. Listen closely to others and heed the word of God.
God has endowed man with the ability to make beautiful music,
learn to listen and listen to enjoy.

6) Relax.
Ever notice that the back of your neck is always tense,
bad habit, smiles make the stress go away.

7) Follow your heart.
Love enormously, love often and smile when you think of those that you love.
Remember that you may like things, you may enjoy things, you may want things,
but your only need is to love people, God and pets.

8) Hug everything, even trees.
God has given you two arms and two hands so that you may hold onto
those things that make you smile, however, we must remember that
God’s will may take those things from us at anytime and we must let go
and learn to smile when we remember the good times.
Hand in hand we will do for each other what we cannot do alone
If you are holding my hand I cannot pick up a drink.

9) Trust your gut feelings.
God has given you the intuitive instincts to protect your feelings from being hurt.
Learn to smile when you say "I told you so."

10) Move out of the way.
God has given you two legs to allow you to motivate your body to places that are happy.
Go there.
Smile in anticipation while you are moving towards your happy destination,
and make the smile even larger when you have reached your goal.

11) Dance.
God has given you two feet to celebrate the rest of your body.
Don't think about it, don't talk about it, see it, feel it, trust it,
listen to the music and move to the rhythm of God's earth.

12) Toes know.
When your toes are happy,
you will know you have learned “the whole body smile.”

Smile, this is God's candid camera watching you do his will.

Be yourself...everyone else is already taken.

The Doctors orders are to repeat the process as often as necessary and share
with everyone whom you think would also benefit from 

“The Whole Body Smile.”           :)

Happiness is helping someone help themselves.

Me and the Boss (Michael Erb)

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