When I was 8 years old I often went to go stay with my grandfather, he was like a surrogate father to me and taught me so much in my life. He was the first Flight Engineer in South Africa so it’s probably no wonder that flying is in my blood. To me he was brave and one of the funniest people in the world.

I remember one day as I sat on his lap he caught me frowning, as soon as he saw it he started tickling me like mad only stopping once I had fallen off his lap in hysterics and crying from laughter. He then sat me back on his lap and told me one of the wisest things I have ever heard. “In life we have a choice of where we want our wrinkles to be, that in what ever we do we need to remember that we have a choice in everything we do”. He then asked me to look at his aged face and all the wrinkles and then proceeded to tell me how he got each one, the events that led to them.

He then asked me which of the wrinkles on his very wrinkled face was the deepest and biggest. I remember looking up at his face and pointing to the ones around his mouth and giggling as only a child can, he said “Those are my happy laughter lines, they are deeper and bigger than all the others because I have laughed more than worried”. Those simple words have stuck with me through out the years. Their simplicity and truth, pure wisdom.

In what ever we do we have a choice as to which wrinkles we want to cultivate. I don’t have many wrinkles, but my laughter lines are starting to show and I am proud of them! The frown lines are also there though because I often forget when I am doing it, normally when I am thinking, perhaps it helps me focus, but often when I worry these deep lines appear on my forehead.

So from today onwards I am going to cultivate the right wrinkles, how about you?

Last night I read a post written by Lessons of Life and Love called Keep walking up that hill! and it reminded me of a song by Jewel called Hands. It’s a song about not letting life get you down, not worrying about things because it just wastes time. Both poignant and true, beautifully written in its entirety.

Then after listening to this song I was reminded of a post by Amberfireinus with the song Don’t Worry, Be Happy, one of my all time favourites

Don’t worry, be happy, live, laugh, smile… why not?

So from this moment forth I claim today as No Worry Day 😀 – every time we worry we waste valuable time, time that we could be using to smile.

If I could tell the world just one thing
It would be that we’re all OK
And not to worry ’cause worry is wasteful
And useless in times like these
I won’t be made useless
I won’t be idle with despair
I will gather myself around my faith
For light does the darkness most fear

My hands are small, I know
But they’re not yours, they are my own
But they’re not yours, they are my own
And I am never broken

Poverty stole your golden shoes
It didn’t steal your laughter
And heartache came to visit me
But I knew it wasn’t ever after.

We’ll fight, not out of spite
For someone must stand up for what’s right
‘Cause where there’s a man who has no voice
There ours shall go singing

My hands are small I know
But they’re not yours, they are my own
But they’re not yours, they are my own
I am never broken

In the end only kindness matters
In the end only kindness matters.

I will get down on my knees, and I will pray
I will get down on my knees, and I will pray
I will get down on my knees, and I will pray

My hands are small I know
But they’re not yours, they are my own
But they’re not yours, they are my own
And I am never broken

My hands are small I know
But they’re not yours, they are my own
But they’re not yours, they are my own
And I am never broken
We are never broken
We are God’s eyes
God’s hands
God’s mind
We are God’s eyes
God’s hands
God’s heart
We are God’s eyes
God’s hands
God’s eyes
We are God’s hands
We are God’s hands