Elaine Baldwin | @elainehbaldwin

Today is National Cheesecake Day!

I know you’re thinking I am going to challenge you to take a one another out for a slice of cheesecake and talk about some significant issue. Well, you can do that if you want, but that is not this week’s challenge.

This week’s One Another Living Challenge is not near as fattening or expensive. All we have to do this week is say “Cheese”; often and everywhere.

You know…Smile!

You remember how to do that, right? Like when you were a kid at the Sears photography studio dressed up in your best Sunday-go-to-meetin’ clothes and the photographer would instruct, “Say, cheese.” That meant you were supposed to give your best impersonation of a carved pumpkin grin. My experience has been an all too familiar resemblance to said carved pumpkin when told to say, “Cheese.”

On a side note, I couldn’t find any clear explanation of the origin of “Say, cheese.” No one really knows how it got started and modern day photographers prefer less “cheesy” ways to encourage their subjects to smile.

I also would recommend our smiles not be “cheesy”. People aren’t impressed with forced anything. But I think most folks are especially turned off with fake smiles. They need to be natural, unrehearsed and genuine.

Haven’t smiled like that in a while? Give it a try. It may seem “cheesy” at first, but after a few tries it should feel more natural and your  heartfelt smile will not only be a blessing to others it will it will benefit you. Of course, that will only work if your heart really is joyful.

Solomon said, “A joyful heart makes a cheerful face” and “A joyful heart makes good medicine.” (Proverbs 15:13 & 17:22)

And the best part is once you feel better because of the good medicine and you have a cheerful face, you can take a friend out for cheesecake!