Home » Smile America--There Is Much About Which To Be Happy--Don't Forget To Notify Your Face

What makes you happy? I don't mean the obvious things, like health, wealth and peace. I mean those lesser things that, woven into the fabric of our society, make this the greatest nation on earth. In fact, maybe I was wrong when I called them lesser things. Maybe they are as great as health, wealth and peace.

Happy people make me happy.

There is nothing sadder than an unhappy Christian in America . Why should we be glum?

Years ago, we lived in a big house with the bedrooms on one side and the bathroom scale on the opposite side. Early every morning upon rising, we paraded to the scale to check our weight. My daughter and I crossed paths frequently.

"How are you, Dad?" she would ask.

"OK," I would respond, barely awake.

One morning, she surprised me.

"How are you, Dad?"

"OK," I said.

She stopped, grabbed my arm and said, "If you're OK, why don't you notify your face?"

A lot of us forget to notify our faces.

If you can't smile in the USA , where can you smile?

I'm seventy years old now and I'm not naive. I realize we have problems in our nation. Most of them are problems of excess, greed and a developing lack of discipline. There are thousands of beautiful homes in smaller towns in this country that are affordable, but not fancy. Still, what do many people do? They go out into the cluster mansions, stretch their budget tighter than a fat balloon and buy a home they can't afford at the urging of greedy realtors and lenders. The economy hiccups and they are in foreclosure.

If you ask me to feel sorry for these people, I'll say most don't deserve sorrow. They need to learn a lesson. Check out the homes in small town America . Small, clean and cozy, but lacking circular stairways, cathedral ceilings and 3,000 unnecessary square feet.

Even with this financial problem, there still are things for which to be thankful, things that make me happy.

I'm happy when I see children learn to work.

Bill and Sue are high-income professionals. This story is true; only the names are fake. They recently retired. They more recently went back to work. Why? All their lives they gave their children everything---no limits.

This now haunts them. Their children are in their forties, producing grandchildren, still unemployed and still glued to the parental nipple. Bill and Sue's retirement was destroyed by their own misguided benevolence disguised as LOVE. There is no sign that it will ever end. After all, why should their kids work when all their needs are provided?

They never taught their children to work, never challenged them. Had they learned to work, their children would be happier, feel better about themselves and society would have more taxpayers. And Bill and Sue would live on a Florida golf course.

I'm happy when diversity is portrayed as an American strength instead of a victim status.

We are black, Asian, Italian, Latin, and we should be proud of our heritage, but the celebration of our heritage should never overshadow our Americanism.

Some groups use their collective minority status as a weapon to gain an advantage. This weakens their own group and our nation. I suggest that, If you want to get ahead, go out on your own, work hard, educate yourself, or learn a trade, and make your success reflect well on your nationality, but put our nation first.

I have Indian blood. I have been told I could qualify for government grants and loans. I have never even inquired. My mother was half Iroquois. I'm proud to be one-quarter Indian and I celebrate that fact, but I am far prouder to be 100 percent American.

Our flag makes me happy.

Others say that the United States should keep a low profile in the world. Our flag, when it appears on our soil along with those of other nations has always been displayed at a height above all others.

Recently, a movement proposed lowering OLD GLORY to the same level as ALL other flags. It's wrong to put our flag above those of other nations, they argued. That hurts the feelings of other nations and causes them to hate us. It might even inspire terrorist attacks.

It made me happy that this effort died.

It makes me happy when I see children turn off the TV and electronic games and get outside and create their own entertainment

I smile when I see kids play baseball, or hide and seek, or tag, or climb trees-ANYTHING but that numbing electronic paralysis of the creative muscles of the brain.

A recent study said that our children watch TV an average of eight hours a day. That is unbelievable.

How in the world did we get along without TV and electronics? Not only was it fun but it was easy.

It makes me happy to live in a Christian nation that helps people who need help

A friend tells this story: A guy enters a bar. He is 6' 2" and weighs 230. He signs a government check and the bartender counts out four hundred bucks. The big man brags about how good Uncle Sam is to him. He is proud that he hasn't worked in a long time.

"I've got a bad back," the big guy laughs. "They can't check out a bad back."

Then he tells my friend-an absolute stranger-how he had been "working the system" for years----unemployment, welfare, disability, food stamps----the works.

Don't misunderstand, I want the government to help the needy, but I don't want money going to cheaters. Let's help the unable not the unwilling.

It makes me happy when one of these cheaters gets caught.

Success always makes me happy.

Bill Gates was a nerd at thirteen. His classmates made fun of him. Today he is one of the richest people on earth. No one laughs at him any more, but some people hate Bill Gates. Why? Because he is rich.

Now Gates, his wife and wealthy friend Warren Buffet, of Omaha , have given billions (with a B) to organizations involved in global health, education and other worthwhile areas. There are people who hate Buffet, too, because he has lots of money. How can you live in this nation and hate people like this?

Anyone who achieves the American dream makes me happy -- I love success.

No matter how bad it seems, there are always many more things in this nation about which we can be happy. Let's look for those things. Let's smile.  And don't forget to notify your face.

Marty RicKard Bio

Marty RicKard attended William Penn College , Iowa State University and University of Southern Mississippi , from which he holds a BS degree in journalism and photojournalism. He also has a Masters Degree in photography, in addition to the Craftsman, CPP, and A-ASP degrees. Marty spent two years as a technical writer for White Motor Company, and has worked for the Charles City Press, Mason City Globe-Gazette, and Davenport Times-Democrat. He was co-owner of the weekly New Sharon Star, where he was twice named Iowa Master Columnist for his article, which was syndicated in twenty Iowa newspapers. For more than a decade Marty's regular column appeared in the Professional Photographer magazine. He has been published in many other magazines and newspapers, including Writer's Digest, Writer Advice, Golf Digest, Resource Magazine, Picture, Range Finder, and Darkroom. In addition to his writing credits, Marty has won numerous photography awards, has lectured in 48 states, and has traveled internationally as lecturer, and judge. He was one of thirty from the U.S. to participate in the first cultural exchange with China in 1986. He currently is a regular columnist for Lens Magazine, and a full-time writer of fiction and poetry. He is the author of two poetry books and one volume of short stories. He is an entertaining speaker.