#3 — You Can Never Put A Smile In A Jar
Have you ever been around someone who possesses the ability to rattle off quick little phrases and sayings at just the right time? Sometimes, we love these people. We think “Wow, if only I were that ‘quick to the draw’ or ‘how clever.’” Other times, if you are anything like me, you shout, “Hey! Stop talking in riddles!” Am I right?
I’ve spoken before about the importance of randomness, so it will come as no surprise that, yesterday, my daughter and I were talking about nothing, and while walking down the hallway she “randomly” shouts, as beautifully as you please, “Ya know, Dad? You can never put a smile in a jar!” I sat on the couch, perplexed. I couldn’t resist. “Hey, kiddo. What does that mean?” “I don’t have a clue, Dad.” I then followed with “Did you hear that somewhere?” And, of course, “Nope! Just thought it up!”
Now, let’s slow down and analyze this a second: You can never put a smile in a jar. I’m not here to be philosophical, much, but I like that saying. Don’t you? I started contemplating how people are infatuated, some fixated, on having control of their lives and every detail planned. We buy organizers, planners, calendars, while also using our phones, computers, and other gadgets to keep us in line. In a sense, we are looking for things to keep certain aspects of our lives “in a jar.” Consider it further: your finances, travel plans, meal preparations, and much more are all attempted by most to be maintained “in a jar.” Countless companies have raked in millions of dollars by offering products which do these very things for us.
So this started me thinking about what we cannot put “in a jar.” Let’s be metaphorical here, not literal. Though maybe we could be literal if we had to define the size of the jar, but I digress.
If you are reading this, I want you to take some time and think about all the things you cannot fit into your metaphorical jar and how they are just as, if not more, important than all the things you do put into it. . . if you struggle with it, consider that a smile is a great place to start. 😃😊
- JB
PS. I put two different smiling emojis here; one for you folks with beautiful, toothy smiles, and the other for people like me.
