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August 2007 Issue
A simple smile
by Jennifer Shike
It was starting to be one of those days. You know the kind – where problems start coming from every angle and it’s not even 7 in the morning.
I’ll admit it. I was beginning to wake up on the wrong side of the bed.
And then, I heard chatter coming from my 1-year-old daughter’s bedroom. She was ready to meet the day. I wasn’t!
But when I went into her room, something special happened. I opened the door, and the problems immediately faded away when she looked up and smiled at me.
It’s amazing what power a smile can have in our lives.
I’ve been thinking a lot about smiles lately – at a time when many tears are being shed as we mourn the death of one of our industry’s finest young swine breeders, Jason Shipley of Newark, Ohio.
When I think of Jason, I remember his smile first. It had to be one of the most contagious smiles in the world.
Jason always had this way of lifting my spirits with his smile when I ran into him at the shows. No matter what was happening at the show, he chose to tackle life with a good attitude and a smile. And, his ability to approach each day with a positive outlook affected other people more than he could have ever known.
I have to admit that I didn’t know Jason very well or for very long, but in the short time I knew him, he definitely made an impact on my life.
He was always willing to help kids and loved coming to the shows. His enthusiasm and passion for youth and the industry were infectious. And people noticed.
Parents have an awesome opportunity to model this behavior to their children.
Jason’s parents, Randy and Sandy, deserve great credit. They taught their son how to have fun and approach life with a positive mind-set.
As a parent, I hope my daughter can bring joy to other peoples’ lives with her smile and positive attitude. She appears to have the “people-loving” gene – she rarely meets a stranger and loves to smile. I encourage her in this area because I love seeing how it brings a smile to others.
You never know what is happening in the lives of those you meet each day and how a simple smile could be the motivation they need to keep going.
One of the things I love most about working with youth is that I get to see lots of smiles at the shows – smiles of pride as they get ready to walk their pig into the ring, smiles of joy as they accept their ribbon (regardless of the color) and smiles of excitement as they meet up with their friends after the show to play a game.
Kids are not afraid to smile, and they do it so freely.
I’m not sure why it gets harder as we get older. Maybe we get too bogged down by the stress and pressures of life. But, it’s never too late to start smiling more.
During the World Pork Expo, my husband’s grandmother passed away unexpectedly. As I drove back for the funeral, I couldn’t help but marvel at her ability to stay positive, even in difficult situations.
Nearly seven years ago, she lost her husband to a stroke, and 13 months later, she lost her oldest daughter – my husband’s mother – to cancer. Despite losing two of the most important people in her life, she still found a way to stay positive.
This year was a struggle for her – moving in and out of hospitals, and battling illness and multiple surgeries. But, she never doubted the power of a positive outlook.
She told everyone she’d be home soon. Despite the doubt of many, she was able to return home and rehabilitate herself so she would not need nurses around to help her. Just a month ago, she took the driving test and got her license renewed!
It makes me smile to think of her amazing perseverance and her positive attitude. She reminds me to make each day count. Our time on earth is limited with the people that we care about.
I encourage you to evaluate how you spend your time and the impact you are making on the people around you. Whether you are 2 or 62, you can make a difference with your attitude.
Are you lifting others’ spirits with your enthusiasm and smile? If so, keep it up! If not, what’s holding you back?
As I consider how fragile and short our lives really are, I urge you to freely forgive others when they wrong you, to share openly with those in need and to look for ways to put other people before yourself.
When you do, I think you’ll start to experience life in the way that Jason Shipley did. A life that’s best remembered with a simple smile.
