To Smile


Who is the person or who are the people that you love the most? Most all of you are thinking “family.” Your family is the first group of people you love and your first friends. Especially your parents. If they weren’t here, you wouldn’t be here. Think of it; what would happen if one person in your family suddenly got really sick, got in a car crash, or got hurt protecting our country? Now you suddenly got really sad… Why? The answer is obvious, it’s because you love them.

“Love is weird.” Most of you have either thought this, or heard it. It was even in the popular movie Catching Fire. That statement is very true. It’s weird to think that you could enjoy one person so much that you can’t think of life without them. If they went away, you have no idea what you would do. Many high school students have a boyfriend, girlfriend, or best friend, and what would you do if suddenly they were gone, vanished from your life forever? This happens much more than you think; people get sick and there’s nothing you can do about it. Especially when it comes to cancer. One day they’re fine, then the next they are in surgery and having to get chemotherapy treatments. It’s heart wrenching, and happens too often, but there’s nothing you can do about it.

When it comes to sickness and health, or even life and death, there isn’t much you can do about it. There is one exception, and that’s suicide. Now think of this, your family member, boyfriend, girlfriend, or best friend one day decides that their life isn’t good enough and ends it. Just like that, they forgot that you loved them and decided to take their life. Now what can you do about that? Smiles help. Even if you barely know the person, the easiest way to make their day better is to smile at them.

In high school there’s a lot of gossip that goes around. Some people can learn to ignore it, while others can’t. It’s something that can easily be prevented, but with teenagers it’s their natural habit. They don’t see it as hurtful to talk about a person if they aren’t around to hear it, but most of the time they find out. Then what? You say that you’re sorry and didn’t mean it? Obviously you did, otherwise you would not have said it. Then the victim gets a whole new perspective of the person that hurt them, and will most likely start gossiping about them. It’s a never-ending cycle.

There are people who can’t handle rumors or gossip. Those are the people who have troubles in school. Those are the people that you have to smile at in the hallways. Those are the people that have someone who loves them and doesn’t want them to leave. Those are the people that their life can be saved. Life is fragile; people get sick, death comes easily, and so does pain. There isn’t much you can do about illnesses, but all that’s needed to make someone feel loved and make their day better is to smile.