Did you know that yesterday began National Make Someone Smile WEEK (July 18-24)? That’s right. All across the country thousands of florists are delivering flowers to people in hospitals, nursing homes, and foster care centers to people who might not otherwise get any flowers.

Started in 2000 by Teleflora, it has become “the floral industry’s most successful charitable program. Last year’s program spanned 144 cities throughout the United States and Canada, more than 2,000 florists donated their time. Teleflora’s program delivered more than 35,000 bouquets to those most in need of a smile.”

According to the company, Teleflora will be donating more than 50,000 of their Be Happy Mugs to their member florists, who in turn will work with local wholesalers and growers to secure donated flowers. The florists will then use these flowers to design cheerful Be Happy Bouquets that will be delivered to those most in need of a smile – such as hospital patients, senior citizens living in nursing homes and assisted living homes, and recipients of Meals-on-Wheels programs.

So, what can we do to celebrate Make Someone Smile Week? Don’t you think it would be kind fun to knowingly walk around with the intention of making others smile? What a great way to raise your own positive vibe as well as the positive vibe of others. Besides, it’s hard not to smile yourself when you are consciously making another smile.

So here are some tips for how to bring about a few smiles…feel free to use them, tweak them, add to them or come up with you own.

1.) Share a sincere compliment
2.) Share a hug
3.) Tell a good joke
4.) Just smile at someone for the sake of smiling
5.) Make a funny face
6.) Break out into a song and dance
7.) Whistle the theme song from the Pink Panther
8.) Play Clay Aiken’s Tried & True for people (or any of his music)

Someone at the Red Recruiter had a fun idea:

This is somewhat of a Twitter challenge of sorts, but it would go like this…

Do one thing to make someone smile this week and send out a Tweet saying what you did.  Tomorrow, I will buy a complete stranger a cup of coffee at Starbucks.  Big deal, no.  Will it make them smile, hopefully.  Will it make me smile, yes.

So, to share it with everyone, you just want to make sure that you include the hashtag #smileweek in your Tweet.  This would be an example:

“Just bought a guy named Bob a cup of coffee at Starbucks. He smiled. #smileweek”

“Just picked up the tab for a young couple at Chile’s.  They smiled. #smileweek”

“Brought lunch to a man that lives outside of our building. #smileweek”

“Bought my wife flowers and delivered them to her office. #smileweek”

Just think of all the possibilities!

If I want to smile, I look at pictures of Clay who happens to have a great smile!!