Smiling is Infectious

Smiling is Infectious

Hi there.

Thanks for popping in. Friday again. The days and weeks are flying by again. It’s the 8th of January already! Friday’s blog a private peek, right?

I must thank Linda Dewar for reminding me yesterday about Spike Milligan’s sublime little verse about smiling. Have always loved him, his humour, and this little poem; it’s so true! It’s ironic how he writes about smiling as a pandemic, when we are in the grip of a global one.

In case you aren’t familiar with the verse, here it is for you….

Smiling is infectious,
you catch it like the flu,
When someone smiled at me today,
I started smiling too.
I passed around the corner
and someone saw my grin.
When he smiled I realized
I’d passed it on to him.
I thought about that smile,
then I realized its worth.
A single smile, just like mine
could travel round the earth.
So, if you feel a smile begin,
don’t leave it undetected.
Let’s start an epidemic quick,
and get the world infected.

Of course, now we are learning to smile with our eyes, because our mouths are hidden behind masks. And at the moment we aren’t even seeing anybody to smile at!! So here‘s what to do:

Stand in front of the mirror, and smile. Go on. A huge great grin. You’ll feel better for it, I promise you. Spike Milligan would think so too.

I just went to Wikipedia, to find out more about Milligan. It’s been 18 years since he died, you know. In Rye, just down the road from us here in East Sussex. He was born in India in 1918, and his name was actually Terence, but he didn’t like it, so he went with Spike, because of a band he liked, called Spike Jones and his City Slickers! I wonder what he would make of the current state of affairs. I was talking to myself the other day, as is my wont , and i wondered what my grandparents would have to say. Those people who survived two world wars.

Anyway. Back to Spike. He is buried in Winchelsea, near where we live. And do you know what it says on his gravestone?

“I told you I was ill”

Goon.

Love and laughter always.

Stay safe. And WEAR A MASK IF YOU GO OUT !!! It’s easy!

Barb xxx

21 thoughts on “Smiling is Infectious

  1. Tomorrow is vaccination day – that makes me smile. It’s a little step toward normality (will anything be normal again?). Your blog made me smile so that’s 2 smiles in the last 5 minutes. You make me smile every Shack day Barbara so thank you for that. Have a great weekend

  2. I have always liked Spike Milligan (I believe he was a Scorpio too). I was chatting to our postman yesterday outside the local SPAR – I had my mask on, but he knew it was me because he said my eyes were smiling!
    Love
    Maggie (Bendy Yorkite)

  3. I love that poem, and it’s so true. People can tell if you’re smiling even on the phone, and with all my crows feet around my eyes, the mask doesn’t mask my smile nowadays!!!

  4. I was having a down day today, but then my duet plates arrived after lunch and I had a big smile. I spent the afternoon working on the first one, so feel somewhat better now. Thank you Clarity and also for the lovely postcard with my order. I am sending it on to a friend who always cheers me up.
    When you’re smiling, the whole world smiles with you, so says the song, so let’s give it a go. 😀 Have a good weekend. Hugs. Annette X

  5. Thank you Barbara for bringing to mind one of my heroes and putting a big (much needed!) smile on my face! Spike (along with Tommy Cooper!) could have me laughing like a loon just by walking on! From my early childhood listening to the Goon Show up to his sad passing, Spike has always put a smile on my face, and will continue to do so every time I think of one of his “crazy” sketches or poems! Originally Spike was told he couldn’t have his preferred epitaph on his gravestone so he had his family translate it into Gaelic, which was allowed! Even bigger smile! Hopefully with all that is going on, we can still smile with each other! Thanks Spike, for all the smiles!

  6. Could I just say that another person who puts a smile on my face is the lovely Jeannine at Clarity Towers! Thank you Jeannine for all your help, always done with a smile which you can “hear” down the telephone!

  7. One of my favourite Spike poems that always makes me smile, may not be word for word but it’s, ‘I must go down to the sea again to the lonely sea and sky………….. I left my vest and socks there, I wonder if they’re dry.’

  8. It is such a true little verse. I am glad it made you smile too and brought Spike back to us for a few moments.

  9. Very important these days to look for the positives and smile in gratitude. Those in the media will give us nothing to smile about so best to look elsewhere. Bright blue skies all week here which always lift my spirits. May need to work a bit harder over the weekend! Lol. Enjoy your kittens and your pottery this weekend – both of which bring many of us pleasure. Lots of love, Hxx

  10. I love this poem. My late father saw it on a wall in a waiting room many years ago. He was so taken with it he sat and copied it out on a scrap of paper which I still have ! Always reminds me of him so thanks for rekindling that memory.

  11. We ALWAYS wear our masks while out and have become quite proficient at smiling with our eyes. Add a ckuckle where it’s appropriate and see the joy.
    I didn’t appreciate the Goons when I was younger but as I have aged I have come to love the comedy. This poem is one of my favourites and it is one pandemic I am happy to spread around.
    So pleased the Groovi shac is continuing, they are such lovely projects.
    Keep smiling and stay safe.🍒

  12. We were always told to smile when making phone calls from work as it could be heard in our voice (obviously only if appropriate) . A smile doesn’t hurt anyone & unlike Covid is infectious in a nice way. I am sure there is a saying that says ”a smile costs nothing but gives a lot” or something like that.
    The comedy of the likes of Spike Milligan will live on forever.
    I am now singing ( in my head) When you are smiling the whole world smiles with you !!

  13. That’s a lovely poem and very true.
    As for masks, I’m loving mine right now. It was -6° C when I was walking this morning. Unlike a scarf, the mask stays up and keeps my face toasty warm. My walking buddy and I both agree that we will be wearing masks in cold weather even when this plague ends.

  14. Hi Barb,
    Woke up this morning to about 6 inches of snow. It looks beautiful but when it snows all day with no respite it is a bit wearisome! Ended up with almost a foot of snow, nobody could get off the estate, roads chaotic. Not much to smile about there. BUT my new Groovi plates arrived earlier in the day delivered by our lovely postman wearing shorts would you believe! Also had an Amazon delivery and the poor driver had to walk from the main road through the estate to deliver it, so I had really big smiles for the two of those. Love and hugs Alisonxx

  15. A fab ditty from the fab Spike Milligan, thanks for reminding us! I love to smile – I went to the dentist recently and as I was saying goodbye to her (with my mask on) I joked about something and said to her, ‘you can’t see me smiling cause of my mask’. She replied, ‘yes I can, your eyes are smiling’. I was very pleased that my eyes smile! Take care and stay safe xxx

  16. Hello Barb, well that just made me smile. It is hard to smile nowadays, but yes if you do, it reflects in your eyes. And as someone said further up, Jeannine is a treasure, you can hear her smile down the phone. Take care and stay safe everyone, very difficult times, so be kind and caring. Bx

  17. Good morning Barbara. It was lovely to read about Spike Milligan. My hubby knew what is written on his grave. I think he is using that as inspiration. I got my order today with my Stay Safe postcard. It is next to my Better Times are Coming postcard on the mantlepiece. I do like hearing about people who are being vaccinated. There are more and more of them. Have a good weekend. Stay safe and take care. Hugs xxx

  18. Late reading the blog but I enjoyed reading Spikes poem, always made me smile. Thankyou to Christine Tyson and the poem “I must go down to the sea again …”, That had me laughing out loud when I got to the punch line.
    I hope your weekend is going well. I am off to catch up with Paul.

  19. WOH! Spike Jones and The City Slickers, a real blast from the past. I remember them playing at our local jazz club in the olden days, you know when photographs only came in black and white, haha.
    As a child me and mum used to listen to the Goon show on the wireless and we would have tears running down our faces with laughter. Spike wrote about the fact that he had had more than a few mental health problems throughout his life and was a difficult person to be around. It strikes me that most geniuses from whatever genre seem to carry a ‘dark load’ inside. I don’t know whether it can be ‘summoned’ on the internet, but if you can get it, I would recommend the program where Spike was presented with a lifetime award from Prince Charles, who was a big fan of Spike and The Goons and had for many years been in regular correspondence with Spike. Suffice to say Prince or not, Spike accepted the award in his own inimitable way! Charles took it all in good humour and looked quite pleased to be in the ‘Spike and Charles sketch.

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