Dear friends, today is the perfect occasion to smile at each other and the world around us - World Smile Day. By starting the day with a smile, we make a happy choice and set the mood for our state of mind and the whole day. Today, I would like to share with you a nice parable. 

"Once upon a time, a peasant in a village never frowned. Everyone who passed by his house could hear his carefree laughter and see his joyful, bright smile. Even in his last days, when illness came to him, and death was near, he lived as if every day was a holiday created especially for him. One of the neighbours who came to see the dying man couldn't stand it and asked him:

- How did you manage to live your whole life so happily? I know, that you worked every day without bending your back, and you had enough problems, just like all of us.... And even now, what are you so happy about? 

The old man smiled and answered:

- Once, as a boy, I learnt literacy in a monastery. There, I was struck by our monk-teacher. He never frowned, always smiled and was happy about every day of his life. One day, I asked him the same question you are asking me now. And he answered:

- My life is not as easy as it may seem. It has its fair share of sorrows, problems and sufferings. But every morning, when I open my eyes, I know I have the right to smile or to frown. I choose to smile, and it makes me feel good even when things are not going the way I would like them to... 

I can't change the life around me, but my smile can change something inside me. And may each of us be able to change the world for the better with the effort of a smile!