Today (October 7th) is National Smile Day.  Like yawns, smiles are said to be contagious.  Smiles help raise our dopamine and serotonin levels which help fight stress and alleviate pain and depression.

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You may be familiar with the yellow smiley face seen on just about every piece of merchandise imaginable from helium balloons to bumper stickers to emojis every single day.  The man responsible for creating the little ball of happiness was Harvey Ball who actually created it for a State Mutual Life Insurance company campaign.   You may have also have seen an homage to this smiley face in Forrest Gump.

MovieBasedMInistry YouTube
MovieBasedMInistry YouTube
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Harvey's goal was to spread goodwill and cheer.  Ironically, his harbinger of joy became too commercialized and destroyed his original intent.  To honor the initial intent of the smiley face, he decided to make the first Friday of October "World Smile Day".  We can all honor his memory (he passed in 2001) by smiling from ear to ear on this special day.

Devin Avery on Unsplash
Devin Avery on Unsplash
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Here are some tips on how to celebrate National Smile Day from the handy dandy National Day Calendar:

  • Do a random act of kindness for someone.
  • Use a smiley face emoji on every text you send.
  • Spread cheer by handing out smiley face stickers.
  • Give a smile to everyone you come across.
  • Tell someone a funny joke.
  • Play happy songs like “Happy” by Pharrell Williams or “Don’t Worry Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin.
Nick Fewings on Unsplash
Nick Fewings on Unsplash
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It appears that Hartford can benefit from the tips on smiling as according to an article by the Patch a new in-depth study by Shiny Smile Veneers reports that Hartford came in 4th on the "least-smiling list of people."  Baltimore, Providence, and Detroit performed slightly worse than Hartford.  Perhaps those people had more of a grimace than a frown and hence came in with the gold, silver, and bronze.

Joe Cosmos YouTube
Joe Cosmos YouTube
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According to some of the study's key findings:

• Hartford had just 32.9 percent of people smiling in the city’s photos.

• Many of the cities smiling the least were located in the Midwest as well as the East Coast.

• Nationally, 43 percent of all pictures analyzed had smiling faces.

Better luck next year Hartford, just put on a happy face and as the Joker says "If you gotta go...go with a smile."

Thanks for hanging out with me and I'll see you again real soon.  Put on an "Appy" face and download the i95 app for Android or Apple.

Emmanual Thomas on Unsplash
Emmanual Thomas on Unsplash
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4 Connecticut Schools Named 2022 National Blue Ribbon Schools

Governor Lamont recently had a press release congratulating Booth Hill School in Trumbull, E.O. Smith High School in Regional School District 19 (Ashford, Columbia, Coventry Eastford, Willington, and Windham), Great Plain School in Danbury, and Whiting Lane School in West Hartford for being named 2022 National Blue Ribbon Schools. The Governor was joined by Connecticut Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker in recognizing the achievement.

6 Of The Oldest Restaurants In The Northeast Worth The Drive

We will take a look at 6 of the oldest restaurants that are within driving distance...
The Griswold Inn is located in Essex and in New York it's The 76' House in Tappan. I was curious and looked at what is the oldest in nearby New Jersey, Pennslyvania, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.
In New Jersey we will look at The Cranbury Inn located in the township of Middlesex, in Pennsylvania, it will be McGillin's Olde Ale House located in Philadelphia.
In Rhode Island, we will look at the White Horse Tavern in Newport, and in Massachusetts its Union Oyster House in Boston.

I Attended The Perfect Wedding At Tilly Foster Farm In Brewster

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